Keeping it Together
by SunshineANDstardust
Summary: Caleb and Sarah Puckerman had everything that two teenagers could need; a loving mother, and a awesome father. Until one offer seems to tear everything apart; Can Puck keep his family together with the help of his children.
1. Morning Nookie

**Hey everyone. This is my second offical story so be kind. I've been working on this alot in my head and finally got a chance to start writing. This is gonna be multi-chapter so don't worry. Major props to my beta's Bibz and Red Satin and Black Silk. Check out their pages they have some good stuff. I'll try to get a chapter out a day. **

**This is in the future so let me know if you don't understand something. Ok I'll shut up now. **

* * *

Puck pulled his arm around his wife and snuggled a little deeper into his bed. If he could, he would stay like this all day cuddling next to her. Well, who was he kidding? If he could he would spend all day fucking her senseless rather than cuddling with her.

There was a time in their marriage when they could do that. But now they were way past the honeymoon where they could forget things like bills, jobs and spend all day in bed.

The alarm on his side of the bed went off. He slammed it down and sighed to himself. Here was to another day. He cuddled up behind his hot wife and nuzzled her neck to gently wake her up.

"Good Morning Mrs. Puckerman" he said placing a soft kiss to her neck. Rachel stretched and moaned into him. Every morning since the day they were married he woke her up just the same and she'd be lying if she said she hated it. Even during a fight he would still take a moment steal a kiss to her neck and say 'Good Morning Mrs. Puckerman' in his most sexy voice. Needless to say most of the fights didn't make it past the morning.

Rachel turned to face him in his arms. "Good morning to you." she placed a kiss to his lips. Puck took no time at all in deepening the kiss. With any luck he'd get some morning nookie. Rachel knowing exactly where Puck's mind was at lightly pushed him over and climbed on top of him.

"What time is it?" she asked between kisses as she ran her hands across this chest. Seriously even after all the years of marriage, he still had an amazing chest and arms. Puck turned slightly letting Rachel kiss down is neck and tongue his Adams apple. He groaned (Man his girl still knew how to get him going) while he checked the time.

"Six-fifty-two. We got time" he told he told her while pulling her lips back down to meet his for another kiss. When Rachel slipped her tongue in his mouth and he flipped them back over. Not like he didn't love foreplay and shit but he needed to move this along. He palmed her breast through her shirt (well his shirt) and grinded into her. Rachel moaned in response and he grinded again.

"WHAT IS YOUR FUCKING PROBLEM?"

"I WAS HERE FIRST"

"NO I WAS! NOW GET OUT THE DAMN BATHROOM!"

Puck stopped and sighed in defeat. Now he loves his kids and would do anything for them. But if someone would have told him how much of a cock-blocker having kids was, he would have thought twice before doing that shit.

"I'll handle it." Puck said kissing Rachel again. "Don't fucking move" He ordered before he got up and walked to the door of their room. And poking his head out and down the hall where sure enough the two pains in his ass were standing at the bathroom arguing.

"I WAS HERE FIRST. MY CLOTHES ARE IN THERE DUMBASS"

"TOO BAD YOU LEFT. BATHROOM IS FAIR GAME."

"HEY!" Puck yelled silencing them both. "What the Fuck is the problem!" He looked at his two children.

Honestly? They lucked out with it when it came to the kids department.

Caleb was the oldest. Rachel had gotten pregnant their sophomore year at OSU. That changed the plans for them a bit. They got married before he was born (Puck wanting to make an honest woman of her) and finish their degrees by a combination of night school, community college and CLEPs. It wasn't easy those first two years but they made it. When Caleb was two and things had settled down a bit for them they decided they were going to move to New York so Rachel could live her dream. But that plan didn't work out either.

Enter Puckerman child two: Sarah. When they found out they were pregnant again Rachel refused to move to New York. They found a nice house and settled down in Lima. Puck used his sports medicine degree and a great job with the OSU football team as a trainer. Rachel used her Theatre and Vocal degree and got a job working with the local Children's Theatre. She also taught Voice Lessons on the side and even took a job at their old high school as the Choir GLEE club director when Mr. Shue retired 5 year ago. All in all they made a pretty great life for themselves and Puck thought it was smooth sailing from there. Until the day his two kids turned into two teenagers.

"Your fucktard of a son here is trying to steal the bathroom" Sarah said crossing her arms, frustrated.

"Well your asshat of a daughter left the bathroom open to be stolen"

"I did not!" Sarah yelled back turning to her father. "I got up and put my clothes in the bathroom –"

"And then she left leaving the bathroom wide open."

"I only left to grab the tampons I left in my room!"

"Oh gross!" Caleb exclaimed

"Too much information!" Puck stated. "Ok look who had the bathroom first yesterday?"

"He did"

"She did"

"I did not!

"Yes you did!"

"ALRIGHT!" he yelled again silencing his kids again "Jesus fucking Christ you kids pull this same shit every morning. Okay look there's only one fair way to settle this."

"Putting Sarah up for adoption?" Caleb said with a glare to his sister

"Sending Caleb back to the pound?" she retorted right back.

"Rock. Paper. Scissors." Puck said getting impatient with the two teens. I mean come on his hot wife was waiting for him in bed to give him morning nookie. He had better things to do (Like Rachel) than to sit around a play ref to their daily sibling smack down.

"What! No way!" Sarah spoke first "That's stupid."

"Yeah it's not gonna solve anything" her brother joined in.

"You either rock paper scissors for the bathroom or I have your mom re-instate the color coded morning bathroom schedule."

Puck knew he had them. They hated that schedule. Right before they both hit puberty Rachel had made a color coded schedule for bathroom times for both of them complete with time to shower, bush teeth, pee, and take care of other needs that pre-pubescent teens might have. It embarrassed them to no end.

It was kinda hard to whack off in the shower when you know that your mom had already pre-planned time for said whacking off. She even added extra time for Sarah to give herself a breast exam and check for lumps. They were finally relieved when Puck thought the kids were old enough to shower (and do other stuff) on their own time without the schedule. All was fine during the summer when Sarah would shower in the morning and Caleb would sleep till noon but since schooled started back up three weeks ago all hell broke loose. Which brings us back to…

"Fine" they both admitted defeat at the same time. Anything to avoid the schedule.

"Rock. Paper. Scissor. Shoot." Caleb threw paper. Sarah threw scissors.

"You cheated!"

"How can I cheat? Its Rock Paper Scissor you dill hole. Now if you'll excuse me I have to get ready for school." She side stepped her brother and walked into the bathroom. Just as she was closing the door he put his foot in the way.

"Best two out of three?"

"I don't think so. Now move." She said stomping his foot and slamming the door.

"I guess you're not as dumb as you look" He yelled back at the door.

Sarah poked her head out once more. "Too bad we can't say the same for you!" She stuck her tongue out.

Caleb was about to respond when Puck yelled out again. "Hey! You shower" He pointed to Sarah "You," he pointed to Caleb, "Do whatever…you do." He finished lamely before shutting his bed room door and locking it.

He turned back to Rachel fearing that the little family feud had ruined the mood only to find her naked and waiting with an amused look on her face. Nope still in the mood. He pounced.

"Bathroom again?" she asked while he kissed her neck.

"Mmm-hmm,"

"I guess they both thought they were the first one there right,"

"Mmm-hmm,"

"Maybe I should do another schedule. Just to-"

"Rach remember when we decided not to talk about the kids or schedules during sex?"

"Right. Time?" Rachel asked breathless as Puck kissed down her chest.

"Seven-oh-seven. We still got time baby!"

Rachel grabbed his face in her hands and brought his mouth back up to hers. Even after seventeen years of marriage, she would never get tired of kissing him. She finally pulled back

"You should get moving then Puckerman."

Puck smirked at her. "I love it when you get bossy"

* * *

Puck made his way down stairs to 'check on the kids'. He honestly didn't understand why Rachel seemed to think their kids were completely incompetent without them. (And yes he knows what incompetent means). He usually went in later so all last minute morning things fell to him.

Walking into the kitchen and glancing at his daughter he stopped dead in his tracks. "What the Fuck are you wearing?"

Sarah tried to look as innocent as possible. "Clothes…"

He stared his daughter down. In what world did a mini skirt, halter and strappy-heals count as clothes? How the fuck did she even get that shit. He sure as hell didn't buy it for her. Now being a parent was a tricky thing and especially when you have a teenage girl with insecurities. Puck tried to be as delicate as possible.

"Go put some fucking pants on!" he all but shouted

"But dad-"

"No! No but dad! No daughter of mine is walking out that door dressed like that. GO!"

"This is Bull Shit" She said as she stormed off. "You know mom wore shorter stuff than this when she was in high school!" She yelled from the top of the stairs.

"Yeah well you're not your mother!" Puck yelled back.

"You tell her dad" Caleb said as entered the kitchen and headed to the cabinets for a pop tart. For once justice was severed in the Puckerman household and his sister was finally getting in trouble. He was going to soak in this moment.

Puck walked over to coffee maker to the start a pot when another thought occurred to him. "You bring up that Spanish grade yet?"

Moment gone. Caleb knew he had to process with caution if he was gonna make it out of this alive. He walked to the refrigerator to stall for a moment and collect his thoughts.

"That depends on what you mean by 'bring up' my grade." Caleb said as he pretended to look for the milk that was right in front of him.

Puck turned to look at his son. "I suppose by 'bring up' I mean no longer failing"

Caleb grabbed the milk and took a big swig for the carton. If he played his cards just right he could talk himself out of this. "Well you see, technically according the Ohio state board of Education and the Lima school board a 'D' isn't technically a failing grade. So you could technically say that I'm not failing Spanish at all"

"Well" Puck started as he walked over to his son. "Technically you know that I don't give a shit what the Ohio state board of Education or the Lima school board says. And that technically in the Puckerman house a D is a failing grade. So if I were you I'd _**technically**_ bring my grade up before you _**technically**_ get grounded or _**technically** _lose your car for good." He snatched the milk from his sons hand and took a swig himself before putting the milk back.

"By the way, don't drink from the carton. Your mother hates it," He walked back over to the coffee pot.

Sarah re-entered the kitchen and stood for her father to inspect. She was wearing the same top and shoes but had changed into jeans.

"Better" Puck said placing a kiss on her forehead "but put a sweater on."

Sarah rolled her eyes and grabbed her book bag before she made her way over to her brother and held out her hand. "Keys?"

"What?" He asked confused with a mouth full of pop tart. Realization suddenly hit him. "Hell no! No way. Dad will you please tell your delusional daughter that there is no way in fuck that she is driving _my_ car to school."

"You lost your car privileges when you brought home a failing grade."

"She doesn't even have a license"

"I have my permit. I can drive as long as a licensed driver is in the car el stupido"

"Dad please" Caleb walked over to his father and pleaded "You and mom said I lost the car for 'social gatherings' and shit but this is school. I'll drive straight there and straight back I promise. Please don't make me show up to school with my baby sister driving me."

"You can always catch ride with mom" Sarah teased behind him "I'd also like to mention that I am doing muy excelente in Spanish."

"Dad!" Caleb practically whined

"Alright!" He said holding his hands up. He felt for his son. All things considered it was only a 'D' and he did have plenty of time to bring it up. Plus he knew how bad it would ruin his reputation. "Straight to school and straight back! Any pit stops along the way and your sister will be playing taxi driver"

"Thank you!" Caleb said hugging his father.

"But" Puck said now noticing the pout on his little girls face "Sarah gets to pick the station till you bring up the grade"

Sarah smiled brightly. Caleb groaned as they both headed for the door

"Wait!" Puck stopped his kids. "Mom said she had to switch around some voice lessons this week. So dinners gonna be a little late"

The Puckerman children exchanged nervous glances. Dinner normally went one of two ways.

"What are we having?" Caleb asked skeptically

"Lasagna"

"Who's making it?" Sarah asked bluntly

"Does it matter?" Puck chuckled.

His children gave him a knowing look. Dad was the better cook in this house hold. It was a well known fact to everyone. Well mostly everyone. Rachel still had delusions of proving herself as a 'dutiful wife and mother' and tried to cook as often as they'd let her. She wasn't completely horrible but normally her dishes included odd ingredients like beets and radishes. It was an un-spoken rule that on nights that mom cooks everyone tries to finish at least one plate, compliment her on it, and then later that night eat a bowl of cereal.

He sighed "I'll try to get home early and cook ok?"

"Thank you!" They both sighed in relief before heading out the door.

His phone beeped with a new text message.

_Can we meet tonight?_

Puck sighed.

_Can't I have a family dinner?_

He really didn't need this shit this early in the morning.

_Please? _

The steps creaked as Rachel made her way down the kitchen.

_Fine but only for a bit. You know where to meet me._ He typed quickly and put his phone away. The coffee was done and he made a cup for himself and Rachel as she sat in the door way watching him.

"God I love you" She smiled when he handed her coffee.

"Course you do" He gave her a grin "I'm a bad ass stud, a kick ass dad, and a fine ass husband." He said dropping a kiss to her lips before he backed away. "Um listen babe. I forgot I got this meeting to go to after work so-"

"Say no more. My five called and cancelled, rather rudely I might add. So I'll have plenty of time to make it home after glee and start dinner." She beamed at him. "I was looking forward to trying out a new eggplant lasagna recipe anyway so this all works out."

Puck walked to his wife and took the coffee out of her hand. He placed his hands on both sides of her face before kissing her deeply. "I love you" He told her honestly.

She smiled brilliantly and pecked him before she grabbed her coffee. "I love you too."

"By the way." He called out as he made his way out of the kitchen to go up and get ready for work. "The kids are really excited about dinner tonight. They were going on and on about you cooking before they left for school"

* * *

**And there you have it! The first chapter offically done. Please review so I can know what works, what doesn't work and that someone is actually reading this. I'll post Chapter 2 tomorrow. **

**Thanks again! Please Review!**


	2. Puckerman Sibling Pact

**Wow! Thanks for all the positive response guys. It totally kept me up writing last night. Thank you to everyone that reviewed! **

**Why does everyone think Puck is cheating? He could have been texting Finn. He _wasn't_. But he _could _have. Sorry to disappoint but we won't be finding the person behind the text in this chapter. Trust me they have bigger problems coming their way.**

**Also don't worry this story will have a happy ending. I'm a Disney kid so I believe that all stories that involve Puckleberry should end happy. Enjoy!**

* * *

Caleb Puckerman was a total badass stud and he knew it; Captain of the Football team and a total Jew hottie. He practically heard the panties drop as he walked down the hall. Not like he ever took advantage of that. In fact his ma beat the girls back with a stick. He would never admit this to anyone but it was kind of a relief when she cock-blocked him.

Don't get him wrong, he's done some shit with girls. And he has had plenty of offers to do some pretty wild stuff. (Who knew high school girls were such freaks?) But he was saving that big one for someone special. Or at least someone that he'd known for longer than a week. Plus it kept a little mystery going. No really knew exactly how far he went and with who. He liked it that way. Cause if his shameful virgin secret got out it would totally ruin his bad-ass rep.

Caleb swung into the choir room office and found his mom looking over some paperwork. Probably about sectionals or some other glee shit. He loved her but she tended to over obsess about everything especially everything Glee related.

"Hey mom," He gave her a bright smile before dropping down and kissing her on the cheek.

"Caleb," she said kiss his cheek back. "What do you want?"

He pretended to be offended "Can't a guy visit his own mother in the middle of the day without some sort of ulterior motive?"

Rachel tried to hide the smile on her face "I suppose a normal guy can. But you're Caleb Liam Puckerman there's always an ulterior motive" She said as she pinched his cheeks the way that he hated.

"Ma," Caleb said as he backed away. "Ok look I only came to tell you that I…may-not-make-it-to-glee-today" He rushed the last part and hoped she wouldn't catch it.

"What?" she did "You can't miss glee again! It'll be your third one this year! You're the leader you have to be there!"

"And I want to. I honestly do ma but you know dad's been riding me so hard about this Spanish grade that I finally gave up and got a tutor." Caleb tried to hide his smile when he thought about his 'tutor'. Spanish was about to get a hell of a lot more fun.

"A tutor?" Rachel cocked an eyebrow to her son. If he was anything like his father (which he was) she knew what his type of "tutoring" entailed. "Who exactly is your tutor?"

Caleb grew uncomfortable "No one special just some girl in my class"

"What girl?" She pressed

"Isabella Button"

"Bella Button!" Rachel practically shouted "Bella 'blow job' Button"

"MA!"

"Oh I hear things! And I know things. Like for instance, I know that you are _not_ going to get Spanish 'tutoring' from 'BJ' Button. "

"But what about my Spanish grade" Caleb defended lamely. This was really a losing battle by this point but he'd be mad at himself if he didn't at least try. I mean it's not every day that guy gets a Spanish tutor that willing to suck him off.

Rachel thought for moment. "Ok. Fine if you're really serious about bringing this grade up we'll find you a _different_ tutor. In fact I can think of one right now" Rachel said as she swung he chair around to her computer and pulled up the web browser.

"Uh-oh" Caleb said. No good could come of this.

"Yeah, you know your Aunt Santana and Uncle Finn are only 30 minutes away. I'm sure she wouldn't mind coming up a few weekends and helping you out." Rachel stated as she already started drafting the e-mail to her friend.

Caleb groaned. This was much worst. "Not Auntie Satan. She'll make fun of me if I get it wrong! And even make me do work that's not even assigned."

"Good well then you should bring that grade up in no time." Rachel said in the tone that told him he lost. "See you in Glee this afternoon" She told him with a smile.

"But Mom-"

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Rachel looked up and gasped. She had never expecting to see this face in these halls again.

"Rachel Barbra Berry. Stunning as always,"

"Who the fuck are you," Caleb asked the intruder.

"Jesse?" Rachel asked in disbelief. He nodded. "Wow. Um. Hi. What brings you here?"

Jesse walked into the office and push pass the confused kid to sit on her desk in front of her. He smiled down at her.

"You know you're actually a difficult woman to track down. I almost gave up the search when I couldn't find you in New York."

"Well I never quite made it there." Rachel explained nervously smoothing her hair. "But I heard you've done great for yourself. Congratulations on the Tony."

"Ah, it was nothing" He smiled with false modestly. "I mean I was amazing in the show but really it was a cast effort. And plus I'd been on the Broadway circuit long enough I was bound to get one sooner or later." He chuckled "But enough about me. That's not why I'm here."

"Why are you here Jesse? I mean it's been years" Rachel asked confused. She couldn't for the life of her figure out why her successful ex-boyfriend was sitting in her office almost 20 years later.

"I'm here for you silly" He said tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Okay Caleb had seen enough. First this douche comes barging into the office and pushes him out of the way. Then he sits his fat ass on his mom's desk like he's a fucking king or something bragging about some awards and shit. But now this Fucktard actually has the balls to hit on his mom. _In front of him_. That shit doesn't fly with him. He got grounded for a week for kneeing Mr. 'Jew Fro' Israel in the balls for getting a little too grabby with his mom at temple. It was only grounding in words though because his dad still pretty much let him do whatever the fuck he wanted.

But he knew his mom wouldn't be happy if he punched Mr. Fucktard in the face. He walked up to him and put his hand on his shoulder. The douche looked at his hand like it was the dirtiest thing that ever touched him. "Look, I don't know who the fuck you are and I really don't care. But you do need to keep your hands off my-"

"Teacher?" Jesse finished the sentence and laughed at the boy. It was cute that Rachel was still driving all the high school boys wild. He pushed the kids hand off his shoulder and stood up to meet him eye to eye. "Look son I've known her way before you were ever even thought about. And I think it's sweet and all that you have a crush on Ms. Berry but really it would never work out. She's far superior in her talents than you and actually you should be thankful to even have her as in instructor in your miserable little life. Now run along while grows ups talk." He told Caleb patting his cheek condescendingly.

Caleb grabbed his hand and bent it back. Jesse groaned in pain. "Actually it's not Ms. Berry it's Mrs. Puckerman." He bent his hand back a little more. "And she's not my teacher ass-hole. She's my mom."

"Caleb!" Rachel reprimanded her son and he let go. He should get a fucking prize because seriously he could have done a lot worst. Hell he wanted to do a lot worst.

Jesse cradled his hand back to his chest and looked at Rachel in shock. "Puckerman? As in-Noah Puckerman? Puck?" He scoffed" "You married Puck?"

"She sure did dick wad" Caleb said brining his attention back to him. Who was this guy any way? Walking here and scoffing at his mom. He was lucky his mom was there cause if not he'd totally beat the shit out him.

The bell rang and effectively cut the tension that was in the room. Rachel seems to snap in a bit and took charge of the situation.

"Caleb, you get to class. You don't need to be late again. And I _will _see you at Glee practice." She turned to Jesse "I'm sorry Jesse but I actually have a meeting to get to but maybe if you come by later for lunch and we can catch up a bit. I mean after all it's been a long time."

"Perhaps too long" Jesse said snidely before he changed his facial expression. "Actually you mentioned Glee. Are you the director now? Cause I'd like to see what you've done with the club. I can only assume you're doing a better job than Shue and his rock power ballads he had you belting out."

"Yes I am the director actually. You can come by practice today if you'd like. We're only in the third week of school so we are a little rough but you are more than welcome to come."

"Great so lunch and Glee then we can catch up afterwards"

Caleb glared. He was going to have to spend a whole afternoon making sure this jack ass kept his hands to himself. If he was going to make it through the afternoon he was going to have to enlist some back up.

* * *

Sarah walked out of Biology with her new partner Ben who was asking way too many questions. It was painfully oblivious that she was going to be the brains of their team and she couldn't wait for project to be over so she can switch partners. "So basically if you just study your notes you should be fine." She assured Ben.

"Maybe we should study together. You know just to really be sure we're ready." He leaned into her. Was he serious? Did he really try to come on to her like that? The idiot clearly didn't know who she was.

She opened her mouth to let him have it when she heard her brothers voice cut her off. "Fuck off" He told him before grabbing his sisters hand and pulling her away.

He stopped when they reached her locker "He's my biology partner you know." She explained.

"Yeah well it looked like he was more interested in chemistry." He said while she opened her locker and changed out her books. "Look I'm not here to talk about that. I need you to do me a favor."

"No," she said taking out her last book, she shut her locker and walked away.

"You don't even know what I was going to ask you" He said following her.

"Isn't you class the other way?" She asked him

Caleb grabbed his sisters should and stopped her from walking "Come to Glee today."

"No way! I'm not joining glee club." She said and turned to walk away. He stopped her.

"You don't have to join. Just come for the day"

"Why would I be there any way?"

"I don't know. Say you wanna watch or help with the music or something. Just show up. I need you there."

"Why?" She asked her brother, curious; normally they kept their interactions at school to a minimal but for him to actually seek her out meant that something was defiantly going on.

"I can't really explain it right now but you'll see when you get there"

Sarah thought for a moment and weighed her options. "No," She told him finally and walked off.

Caleb sighed and called after her "I didn't want to do this but I'm activating the Puckerman sibling pact."

Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. "Fuck!" she yelled and got a few stares from the people in the hall. She stomped over to her brother.

"You can't do that!" she told him.

"I can. And I will baby sis. It's that important." Caleb told her "See you in Glee" He smiled like his mom and walked off to his class.

* * *

Stupid Puckerman Sibling Pact! Sarah hated that thing (well she hated the pact when it was used against her). About 3 years ago when Caleb was 14 and she was 12 they both caught each other in compromising situations. Caleb walked in on her seven minutes in heaven with a boy at the JCC during a horrible game of Spin the bottle. He threaten to tell and she begged him not to. He father would kill the boy if he knew and then lock her away in her room forever. Besides it's not like she went around kissing boys all the time. That time was only to uphold the integrity of the game. He was the one that always taught them 'If your man enough to talk shit you better have the balls to back it up'. So really she had no choice.

She walked around in fear all day knowing that her fate was in the hands of her brother until she walked in on him a few hours later with a girls hand down his pants. He begged her not to tell and that's when the whole Puckerman sibling pact started. From then on they had an agreement to 1.) Not give out compromising information about each other to their parental unit and 2.) If one ever really needed the others help they drop what they were doing and run to the others aid. Basically it was sibling blackmail in its finest and over the years they both collected some pretty juicy things on each other. It was well known to both that if the pact was ever truly broken a shit-storm of drama was gonna hit their house.

This is how she found herself sitting in the middle of Glee practice with her brother. "You activated the pact for a stupid reason" She mumbled to him as the rest of the club filed into the room.

"Just wait" He told her.

Sarah watched the door and saw her mom enter. Cheerful like she always was and then a man entered close behind her, a little too close.

She looked over at her brother and arched her eye brow. He nodded back to front to their mother and she turned back. This time the man was talking to her. He rubbed his hand on her shoulder as they talked and let it linger there for far too long. Sarah eyes went down to a glare.

Oh hell no! Why is it people in this fucking town can't just leave her parents alone. Gosh it's like they don't notice the ring or the fact that they been together for fucking ever. Nothing pissed her off more than seeing some slut throw herself at her father or so douche bag try to grab her moms ass.

Caleb leaned over to his sister knowing she knew now why he needed her. "Oh it gets better." He told her.

Her mother called the Glee club to order and started them on vocal warm ups. Sarah made her way down and told her mom she just wanted to sit in on practice today. She was more than happy to have her and let her run the scales on the piano for everyone. Mr. Touchy-Feely made his way over to a chair out of the way while Rachel started off practice talking about musicality. He never took his eyes off her and Sarah never took her eyes off him. If she could walk over and kick him in the balls she so would. It took her a moment to realize that her mom was looking at her expectantly.

"I'm sorry what," She said

"Seasons of Love, Sarah, from the top."

Sarah regretted that she had to look down to read the music but she knew he was still staring. They ran through the song a million times in Sarah's mind before her mom stopped them and gave a lecture to the group about really feeling the emotion behind the music.

"You're not just singing the words here. You letting the music be an extentsion of your feelings and really express your inner thoughts."

A cough came from Mr. Touchy Feely. "Actually Rachel, maybe it would help to give them an example." He said standing and walking to her.

"Right, that's a great idea. Sorry, how rude of me, guys this is Jesse St. James he is an old friend of mine and we were actually briefly in Glee club together once. He is now currently a star on Broadway and just recently won a Tony for his role in Spring Awakening. If anyone can show you how truly express yourself through music it's him."

"Why thank you Rachel but honestly I was thinking a duet might help them." Jesse said as he took the song book and flipped through the pages before landing on the one he liked. "You should remember this one" He told Rachel before tossing the book over to Sarah.

She caught the book with a glare in her eye.

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" He said before snapping his fingers.

She paused for a second. Did this Ass hole just snap at her? Who the fuck did he think he was? She bit her tongue knowing her mom would be pissed if she cussed out her friend and began to play the song.

She decided to have a little fun while she was playing and 'accidentally' messed up the keys when St. Jack ass was singing. He grabbed Rachel hand and sang to her. She of course did wonderful like away and performed the shit out of the song but when the song was over she took her hand back and looked to the group.

Mr. Fucktard made his way back over to his seat and continued his stalker like ways while her mom gave another 20 minute lecture on expression. When Glee was finally over she looked over at her brother and knew he thought the same thing she did. 'No way this asshole gets left alone with their mom'. The others started filling out the room slowing. Some stopped to ask their mom a question or two on the way out. The whole time St. Stalker watched from his chair waiting to make his move.

Caleb packed his stuff together slowly while Sarah took her time putting all the sheet music back in order. When it was down to the four of them and the douche realized they weren't budging, he made his move.

"You're amazing Rachel." He told her "You truly are. I mean what you do with these kids who, less face it aren't the most talented, is just amazing. And the passion that you have, gosh I couldn't take my eyes off you. I mean that one thing that was always special about you. Your passion." He told her rubbing her shoulder again.

Sarah scraped the piano bench back loudly across the floor catching his attention. He dropped his hand. Rachel looked back at her daughter and smiled. And brought Jesse over to meet her daughter.

"Jesse, this is my daughter Sarah. She is a sophomore this year and about to turn 16. She plays piano and the flute and is an amazing dance. She sticks mostly to Jazz, hip-hop and tap. She hated ballet even though she was the most beautiful dancer in the class and her teachers clearly saw she had the talent to-"

"Mom," Sarah said cutting her mom off on another tangent on why she wasn't a picture perfect Ballerina.

"Sorry," Rachel said "And Sarah this is Jesse St. James he-"

"I remember mom," Sarah said cutting her off again.

"Right," Rachel said nervously. Something about Jesse and her children being in the same room together made her nervous. Even though she was sure they wouldn't do anything completely rude, they still have too much of their father in them.

"Ah, another _Puckerman_" He said as he held out his hand. Sarah pretended not to hear the way he said her last name like it was curse of something. "I must say though that you are stunningly beautiful just like your mother." His lips went down to kiss her hand and snatched it away.

"Thanks," she said.

Caleb cleared his throat as he approached.

"You've already met Caleb" Rachel said as she met her son half way. She grabbed his hand and brought him down to meet Jesse.

"Right the juvenile delinquent," Jesse muttered as he flexed his hand.

"That was just a misunderstanding." Rachel said smoothly as the tension started to rise again "Actually Caleb is an impressive musician himself. He can play piano, drums and guitar like his father. He's also very active in sports: captain of the football team, baseball in the spring. During the summer he is a volunteer lifeguard and even offers swim lessons at the JCC."

"Ma," Caleb looked over at his mother sweetly. "I'm sure Mr. St. lame doesn't care about all the shit me and Sarah do."

Sarah had to fight a smirk at her brother's slip up.

Rachel glared at her son. "St. _James_" She corrected him "and it's 'Sarah and I' not 'me and Sarah,'"

Caleb chuckled "Ok mom,"

The four sat in the room awkwardly for a few moments before Rachel took control. "Well are you kids heading out?"

"No," they answered together.

She looked between her two children and knew something was up. "Why not?"

They looked at each other and searched for an excuse. Now seeing as their father was Noah Puckerman they were both pretty good at the art of 'bullshitting'. But if they were being honest Caleb was the better of the two. He was a prodigy of 'bullshitting'. If his dad was the Jedi Master of Bullshit, he was fucking Luke Skywalker. Sarah inclined her head to him knowing he could hand this.

"Well" he started "Daylights saving is coming up and it's getting darker outside. Plus with all the dick heads running around here trying to prove they are bad ass, I just wanna make sure you get to you car safely ma. I mean dad will kick my ass if I let something happen to you." He said with a sly glance to St. Jerk

Sarah was honestly proud to call him her brother. How the fuck did he just pull that out of his ass?

"Well," Jesse said interrupting "I probably need to be heading back anyway. But it was" he paused "nice meeting you both. And Rachel, let me know if you change your mind about our discussion. I don't go around giving out life changing opportunities everyday if you know what I mean."

Sarah looked at Caleb who stared right back making sure they both heard the same thing. 'Life changing opportunity?" What the fuck?

Jesse reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. He handed it to Rachel. "Give me a call when you've got some free time. I'll only be in town till the end of next week."

Rachel took his card and smiled brightly. "Thank you Jesse I'll be sure to do that."

He leaned in to kiss her cheek but the Puckerman children stopped any chances of that happening. Sarah 'accidentally' dropped her bag on St. Jerks foot. Caleb went in for the block by asking his mom if she needed help with her bag. Jesse cleared his throat and knew he wasn't gonna get any closer to her.

"Bye Rachel," He said as he made his way to the door. "I look forward to your call." With that he was out the door.

Rachel gave one more look to both of her children. "What was that about?" She asked them.

"What was what about?" Caleb asked innocently. She gave one final look to her children to let them know she knew what they were up to before she made her way into her office to lock up.

Caleb looked at his sister "That's gonna be a problem" He said and he leaned on the piano.

"Nothing we can't handle." She replied confident "Plus we have a secret weapon that won't think twice about squashing that shit."

It only took a moment for their thoughts to be on the same page. "Dad," they both said.

* * *

**Yah! Chapter Two is complete! Again let me know what you think. Your reviews help me so much. It lets me know what works and what doesn't work. Chapter three is done and is being worked on as we speak so it should be up tomorrow. **

**Thanks again everyone! Review!**


	3. The Higher Council

**Wow posting chapter 3 already. Mad props to my awesome beta for making me sound a lot better than I really am. And for loving Puck and his kids as much as I do.**

**Major thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorite story(ed) and put this story on alert. All the positive feedback is so encouraging and really means a lot to me. I know I _sound_ like I know what I'm doing but really I'm just making this up as I go along. **

**Okay now on to our happy family...**

* * *

Puck pulled into the street of his home after a long hard day at work and an even longer "meeting". He sighed deeply to himself. He knew he had to tell Rachel. It's not like he meant for this to go on as long as it did but one thing lead to another and now…now he wasn't sure how to tell her.

He pulled his truck into the driveway and his face went down to a glare. Who the Fuck was this kid with his daughter? Fuck that! He'd end it right there. He grabbed his stuff, slammed the door of the truck and made his way over to his daughter and the ass wipe she was talking to in front of his home. Making sure to put on the meanest 'don't fuck with me face' that he could. The same face that still makes Jew-fro piss his pants if he gives it to him at temple.

Sarah seemed shocked when she noticed her dad approach. She was so engrossed in her conversation with Chris that she didn't even notice her father had pulled into the driveway. Oh but she noticed him now.

"Shit," Chris said getting nervous. Mr. Puckerman was one scary dude. "You're dad's gonna castrate me."

"No he's not. Just stay calm." Sarah said. She was confident her dad won't castrate him. Maybe kill him but not castrate.

"Who the fuck are you?" Puck said as he approached the two guilty teens.

"Um," Chris said looking to Sarah for help.

"What you don't even know you own fucking name," Puck scoffed at the boy, seriously who was this kid?

"Daddy this is Chris." Sarah said hoping to spark his sudden memory lost. Nothing.

"Chris, Chris Chang. You've known him since he was born. He comes over every other Saturday to help Caleb mow the lawn. On Tuesday's and Thursday's he comes over so we can study Latin together." She said getting frustrated. Her dad could be difficult sometimes and she was sure he knew who Chris was he just wanted to be mean about it.

"Doesn't ring a bell" Puck said with smirk.

"Daddy! He's Uncle Mike and Auntie Tina's second born son. You were there for his birth, took him to his first baseball game, and taught him how to play Super Mario Brothers! Chris! Daddy! Chris!"

"Sarah, it's ok," Chris whispered to her seeing how upset she was getting.

"No it's not ok. He knows who you are. He's just being a-"

"Oh Chris," Puck said finally with fake courtesy, "Man I did not recognize you. Did you get taller?"

"Not since you saw me last Saturday…" he mumbled back. Uncle Puck was always cool but even since he and Sarah started…whatever it is that they are doing…he scared the living day lights out of him.

"Oh must be the lighting or something. How's your brother doing, is he liking college?"

"Yes?" He said giving Sarah a confused look, he was being way too nice.

"Good. Glad to hear it. Anyway it's almost time for dinner so we gotta get going but tell your dad not to forget joint game night next week. Okay? Great, drive safely and don't fuck with my daughter." Puck said smoothing giving the boy a slight push (shove) in the direction of his car.

"Daddy!"

"What?" Puck said innocently "Look, as you pointed out earlier Chris and I have known each other a long time. Which means I know he's a good kid and he knows that if tries anything with you-and I mean anything at all- that I'll break his dick off"

Chris started to choke and grabbed the side of his car for support. While Sarah gasped and stared at her dad in horror.

"Alright, well have a good night Chris" Puck waved to the boy and grabbed his daughter by the elbow to lead her into the house.

"I can't believe you just…I mean are you insane? Chris and I are just friends" Sarah said to her dad once in the house. He had his back turned to her and was taking off his shoes.

Puck tried to hide the grin on his face. The boy looked so scared. But he knew his daughter would be mad at him. A part of him personally didn't give a shit because he was protecting her. But he knew he should at least try to smooth things over. After all she was his kid and if he was pissed off he'd go and do whatever his mom told him not to do in the first place. The key to parenting is to be one step ahead of the child.

So he sucked it up, turned around, and gave her a hug. "I know Sarah. I was only messing with him. But you gotta remember sweetie, that boys don't just have one head. They have two. And which everyone is getting more blood is the one that they'll follow. It's science."

Sarah smirked at her dad's explanation. He was always that way with her. "He's not gonna try to have sex with me" She said kissing him on the cheek.

"Well _now_ he's not," He told her. She shook her head and walked towards the stairs with Puck following behind as her brother started coming down. They made eye contact and knew their plan from earlier was on.

Puck stopped not able to get onto the stairs to take his stuff up to his office. "You guys mind getting out the way" He asked to his teens. They were acting weird.

"Oh sure" Sarah said moving more in his way as Caleb did the same.

"Guys I don't know what's going on but can I at least go put my shit down before I deal with it?"

"You know what dad, Sarah is heading up right now so why don't you give her your stuff and she'll drop it off in the office." Caleb said smoothly. Taking his dad's things out of his hand and handing them to his sister.

"Yeah I don't mind at all. And now you don't have to even go upstairs, you can go to other parts of the house. Like –I don't know- the kitchen." Sarah added on as rehearsed.

"The kitchen sounds great I'm headed there myself. Well only to take out the trash because I'm sure it's piled up after the wonderful dinner mom has made." Caleb stared to steer Puck off the staircase and towards the kitchen.

"You know I wonder if she needs help. You should go help her."

"Yes. Go help mom in the kitchen. And talk. You know about stuff. How _your_ day went. How _her _day went. How _Glee practice_ went. You know whatever works." Caleb had him closed to the kitchen door.

"Wait a minute," Puck said. Something fishy was going on with his kids. Since when do they agree on things and since when did they not let him go up to his own office. "What the fuck is going on?"

Caleb and Sarah looked to each other, "Nothing" They said together.

"Hey skid mark" He looked at his son. "Booger" he called to his daughter. They both cringed at their nick names. Puck didn't like to use normal nick names for his kids cause they weren't normal kids. They each got a nick name at the tender age of two. Sarah couldn't keep her fingers out of her nose. Caleb was potty training and …well… "Do you guys not remember who I am? I'm your father which means I always know when you're up to something. And right now you're up to something."

"We just want you to go talk to mom ok," Sarah finally said

"Okay, but I will get to the bottom of this sooner or later." Puck told them

"Hopefully sooner rather than later," Caleb clapped him on the back. Earning a look from his father "sorry just saying…"

Without further delay Puck made his way into the kitchen when sure enough his hot wife was slaving over the stove. He walked behind her with a smirk on his face and kissed his favorite spot on her neck.

"Your kids are acting weird again," He told her as his hands found her waist.

Rachel chuckled and leaned into his touch. "I like how they're my kids when they're doing something weird"

"That's cause they get their weird and crazy from you." He said kissing down her neck onto her shoulder. "They get their badass from me."

"Really cause I thought they got their talent and drive from me and got their foul mouth and – no that's all they got from you."

She turned around to kiss him on the cheek and the take the garlic bread to the table.

"Cute," Puck said grabbing an oven mitt and taking the food out. He gave it a curious sniff. It didn't smell half bad. In fact it smelled almost normal. It looked pretty normal too. "There's egg plant in this?"

Rachel turned him and huffed. "No. I sent Caleb to the store with a list of supplies that I needed and he completely ignored my list. I think he was talking with some girl and got distracted." She said as Caleb made his way in from taking out the trash. She turned on him as she went to put a hot plate on the table so Puck could set the food down. "How hard is it to follow a list? I mean really!"

"Sorry Ma. I thought dad was making dinner so my brain just kinda went on auto pilot and got the stuff he uses." Caleb said while washing his hands.

Puck turned to his son and gave him a knowing look. He almost pulled it off. There was only a slight hesitation in voice. He gave him a wink that said both_ I know that you did it on purpose_ and _It's ok I won't tell mom_. "It smells great babe and I'm sure it taste just as good"

Rachel set the table with plates and silverware while Puck pulled out the drinks and glasses. "Caleb honey let your sister know it's time for dinner," She told him while turning off the oven and getting serving spoons.

"Sure thing ma," He said "FUCKTARD BRING YOUR ASS DOWN FOR DINNER!" He yelled from his spot near the kitchen sink.

Rachel turned to him "Caleb!"

"What? You said to let her know it's time for dinner."

Puck snorted trying not to laugh until his wife turned her glare onto him. One of his favorite parts about fatherhood was watching his kid make the same move he would in situations like this. He pretended to cough. "Sorry choking. You know…um…Caleb you should really go_ get_ your sister." He said as he led Rachel to her seat and pulled back the chair for her.

"Why? My way works." He said as he made his way to his seat and Sarah entered into the kitchen "See speak of the annoying devil."

"Are you talking about yourself in the third person again" Sarah retorted taking her seat at the table.

"Enough," Rachel said giving them a warning glance to end whatever argument was about to ensue. She started dishing out the Lasagna. It was quiet for a few moments while everyone ate.

Caleb was the first to break the silence "This is fucking delicious"

"Language" Rachel reprimand him

"Oh really ma, come on." Caleb said

"I agree, are you still trying to make us follow that stupid rule?" Sarah jumped in.

"Yes I am. I understand the value of letting adolescents creatively express themselves So I let you kids verbally communicate however you choose any other time of the day. The dinner table is the one place that I will not allow profane language"

"Fuck Yeah!" Puck added with a smirk. He loved tormenting his kids. They both turned on him.

"So why is dad allowed to cuss at the table" Caleb argued.

"Because I paid for the fucking table and for the fucking food that's on it." He taunted them. Who was he kidding _this_ was his favorite part about being a father.

"Well then, I move that as equal and valued members of this family that Caleb and I should be able to articulate ourselves however we choose, whenever we choose." Puck smiled at his daughter always thinking like Rachel

"I second that motion" Caleb chimed in.

"Okay," Rachel said setting down her fork and putting on her best business face. "The higher council of the household will take a vote." She said smoothly

"Higher council," Caleb asked Sarah who just shrugged.

"That means you pay bills and shit" He informed his kids.

"All in favor of keeping the very _simple_ rule of no profanity at the dinner table say aye"

"Aye," Rachel and Puck said together smiling at one another. Let's face it when they tag teamed the kids like this they didn't even have a prayer. "All those oppose?" Rachel pretended to strain her ear while her children sulked. "The Aye's have it."

"Motion denied!" Puck said. He and Rachel went back to eating their dinner like they didn't just shut down their children. "Hey baby, mental high five" They both paused and pretend to concentrate "Nice" They both chuckled.

"So, honey, how was your day?" Rachel went back to normal dinner conversation.

"Pretty good, going to be busting the freshmen in the ass for the rest of the week. I swear it's like they don't know what real conditioning is. It's supposed to be hard and you're _supposed to_ puke."

"Good" Rachel said cheerful "and your meeting?"

"Meeting?"

"Didn't you have a meeting after work?" she asked with a frown.

"Oh that! Yeah that went good too, really boring actually. So how was your day?" He asked while shoving a big bite of bread in his mouth.

"It went well. I've come up with some great assignments for Glee to complete next week and I've had some freshman interested in auditioning for the club so that's exciting as well."

Caleb shot his sister a glance. Obliviously plan A: getting dad to talk to mom as soon as he got home didn't work. Plan B: mom ratting herself out over dinner wasn't working either. He was gonna take drastic measures. It was time for Plan C.

"Hey, speaking of Glee who was that guy that came to visit during practice today." He said innocently

"Yeah he was really good." Sarah joined in "What was his name again? I can't remember."

"James?"

"Jesse?" They pretended to struggle.

"That's it." Caleb snapped his fingers "Jesse St. James? Hey dad you ever heard of him," He said turning to his now choking father.

"Saint Jackass!" Puck managed to get out when he finally swallowed his food. "What the hell was he doing there?"

"Yeah mom what was he doing there?" Sarah said.

Rachel took a moment to glower at her children. She knew exactly what they were up to. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they didn't like him. But to bring their father into this, that was just unfair.

"Well he's actually a Tony award winner now and he was just passing by Lima. I guess he got word that I was still here and wanted to see for himself." She said smoothly. Now was not the time or the place to discuss Jesse's offer.

"Did he say shit to you? Cause if he did I swear to God, Rachel, I will kick his ass." Puck said. What the hell was she doing keeping shit like this from him? This is the first thing she should have said as soon as he walked in the door. Now he knew why kids were acting weird. He'd have to remind himself to raise their allowance next month.

"Noah, Please. That was a long time ago. He's a different man now. He's passed it and so am I"

"Well I sure as hell ain't." He turned to kids. "Did she tell you what this son of a bitch did to her? Her sophomore year he dates her and breaks up with her just so his team can win at Regionals and on top of that they egged her in the parking lot knowing she was vegan."

"What the hell!" Caleb said "And you didn't let me punch the douchetard,"

"Caleb Language!"

"Ah. Douchetard isn't a profanity," He defended

"It's when someone does something so asinine that you are torn between calling them a Douche bag and a Retard. Hence the name Douchetard," Sarah said coming to her brothers defense

"Let's get back to the point here. What the hell did the little fucker want?" Puck pressed a little more.

"Noah now is not the time to discuss this," She said giving him a warning glance. Somehow their nice, semi-normal family dinner was about to end in a very real fight and she did not want it to go there.

Puck was beyond pissed. Just thinking about how that asshole treated Rachel got his blood boiling and she was really going to try to sit there and defend the bastard. Hell No!

"Why not? Why the fuck not; what could he have possibly wanted Rachel, huh?" He said

"Yeah, why after all these years would he come back now?" Sarah added on

"And why did he say that he was trying to track you down? What was that about?" Caleb added

Rachel was glaring now. She didn't want to do this. Not like this. Not during dinner and especially not at the dinner table in front of the kids. Noah was being so stubborn and pigheaded. She hated when he acted like this. He glared right back at her knowing he was pissing her off. At least if she was mad enough she'd explode and tell him what was going on.

"Why Rachel; just answer the question?" He gave her his _I'm not gonna stop till I get what I want _look.

She finally exploded "Fine you want to know? He's putting up a new show in Chicago and he wanted me to come on as the female lead but I turned him down. Are you happy _Puck_?" She scooted away from the table, went upstairs and slammed her door.

Caleb and Sarah looked at each other trying to avoid looking at their dad. Mom just called him the four-letter word. She only ever says those words to him when she's really _really_ pissed. It was kinda their fault. They did instigate the fight but they had no idea that St. Lame had made her an offer like that. This was serious.

They watched as Puck sat for a moment pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He finally downed the last of his coke, got up from the table and walked up to his room.

They'd clean up after dinner tonight. They owed their parents at least that.

* * *

When he entered the room he already knew where she would be. It's where she always goes when she's pissed at him. She locked herself in the bathroom. He took a heavy sigh before approaching the door and knocking.

"Go away. I don't wanna talk to you right now," She said in her most calm voice.

"Rach, look, I'm sorry okay. I was being a dick and I'm sorry." He said hoping she would unlock the door and they'd be able to have this conversation like two normal people.

"Okay, you're sorry. I still don't want to talk to you right now." She said right back. Of course she wouldn't make this easy. Of course they couldn't do anything the normal way.

"Fine, you don't want to talk me. I'll just sit right here at the door and wait for you to come out." He said sitting against the door and waiting for his wife. They used to play this game a lot when they first got married. One time she had him waiting for seven hours before she came out or even spoke to him. He hoped she wouldn't do that to him tonight.

Ten minutes went by until she spoke through the door. "I hate it when you act like that. I told you I didn't want to discuss it then but you just kept pushing and pushing."

"I know," he said "I'm sorry but when it comes St. Jerk- I think about all that shit he put you through and how much he hurt you and I just go crazy Rach. I don't like to see you hurt, you know that babe."

"I know Noah." She said quietly. He could tell that she moved closer to the door.

"And I'll admit that I was being an asshole but the fact that I had to find out from the kids and that _you_ didn't tell me. Baby what was I supposed to think?"

He heard her sit down on the other side of the bathroom door. "You're supposed to trust me and trust my decisions Noah. I _was_ going to tell you, later when we were in the safety of our own soundproof room and could discuss it like adults and not yell it over the dinner table like a bunch of neanderthals."

"Okay I'm sorry. I'm really sorry Rach. You're right and I'm wrong and I'm a dick who doesn't deserve you. And if you open the door and give me a chance I'll spend the rest of the night making it up to you."

"How," She said being coy. He knew he was totally off the hook. Now she just wanted to play with him.

"I think you know how baby?" He said

"Will you dance for me?"

"No…but I will be using my body?"

She chuckled and reached for the door. "Will you sing to me?"

"No…but I'll definitely be using my mouth" He said in his most sexy voice. She can't resist the voice and he could feel her shiver through the door.

He heard that faithful click of the lock and couldn't stop himself from smirking as he stood up.

Rachel opened the door and attacked his lips. In an instance she had her legs wrapped around him and he had her pressed against the wall. "I'm sorry, baby" He said between kisses "I'm so sorry. I'm an idiot and I didn't mean to make you mad."

"I'm sorry too I should have known that you emotional connection to past events dealing with Jesse would trigger you to act like that." She said while unbuttoning his shirt.

"Uh huh," was all he could manage to get out.

"Noah, I like the way you make up." She said her shirt was tossed to the side.

"Me too babe," He said throwing her down on the bed. "me too"

* * *

Puck looked down at the number. He couldn't believe he was doing this. It was his lunch break the next day after he spent all night making it up to Rachel. But he couldn't sleep last night thinking about the offer; the Female lead in a play in Chicago. It wasn't quite Broadway but it was a lot closer than Rachel ever been. It was a really great opportunity. So why would she just turn it down without even talking to him about it? He was gonna mention it to her last night but let's face it he wore her out and she went right to sleep.

He found the number sitting on the counter before he left for work this morning and decided he would take it and get some answers for himself. That is if he would man up and just dial the number. I mean really what is it that this douche has that he doesn't? He knew the answer; Rachel's dream.

He hit send and put the phone to his ear. It was time to shit or get off the pot, not that he was calling on the toilet. That's just ghetto and Rachel made him promise not to do that anymore

"Hello?"

"What do you want with my wife douche bag," Puck winced That wasn't the way he wanted to start out the conversation. But he couldn't help it. As soon as he heard his voice it was just a natural reaction.

"Ah. Noah Puckerman. I thought I might be getting a call from you." Jesse said snidely "To what do I owe the pleasure? Calling to tell me to 'say away from your woman'"

"No I'm trying to understand your angle. What do you want with Rachel? It's been almost 20 years and you come back now."

"I credit myself on being a person to know something good when I see it. Rachel Berry is good. She's beyond good and always has been. So if I'm producing a show, of course, I'm gonna want the_ best _no name actress out there."

"So that's what this is about. You just want an actress for your play?"

"No what I want to give Rachel so much more than you ever could." He said and Puck could hear his smile through the phone "Did she tell you what I'm producing? No? West Side Story; her dream role."

"So this is about winning her back," He said trying to keep his cool and not cuss out this mother fucker that was trying to steal his wife.

"Don't you see Puck? This is about everything. It's a win-win. Rachel gets her dream, I get my actress and another shot at her love."

"Hate to break this to you asshole but she's already married. Happily I might add. It's been that way for the past 17 years."

"Do you really think she's happy? I mean deep down do really think this is how she imagined her life; stuck in Lima Ohio as a Glee director with a husband and two kids. I've asked around about the unholy union that is your marriage and you know what I see. I see her stuck and trapped by a man that isn't good enough for her."

"Well you should get your eyes checked fucker, because she's happy. So happy. And if the only reason you are doing this is to win her over: you can go fuck yourself cause that ain't going to happen."

Jesse was silent on the phone for a few minutes and Puck almost thought he hung up until. "Fine, even if my romantic notions towards the former Ms. Berry aren't appreciated, it's still a good deal I'm offering you guys. I mean Chicago is only 4 and half hours away. We're still doing the workshop so she would be Maria until February where if she likes it she can continue with the role for the full production."

"How much is this gonna cost us?"

"Nothing, as the producer I'm taking care of her room, board, food stipend. All she has to do is sign a contract to stay with the work shop production till February. I even offered her a signing bonus." Jesse added pleasantly

"All that,"

"What can I say; I want what I want when I want it."

Now it was Puck's turn to be silent. This was a real deal and not a bad one at all. Why would Rachel turn it down?

"What's the catch?"

"I do not understand what you're implying,"

"Why did she tell you no,"

Jesse sighed "She said something about how my offer was generous but she was happy where she was and I could probably find younger talent than her that would work for less." Puck still hesitated on the phone. "Between you and me, this is her shot. I've seen what it's like out there and this would be her chance to break into the business."

"Yeah," Puck commented back. He thought long and hard before continuing "I'll talk her into it," He finally admitted to Jesse. Not like he trusted the douche. No way. But this was Rachel's chance, even he knew that and he'd do anything to make her happy. "But if you try anything with my wife I swear to you, asshole, that when I'm done with you the only work you'll be getting is hand modeling."

"Dually noted, can't wait to hear from you and my raising star." Jesse said with a final click of the phone he was gone.

Puck tried to swallow down the feeling that he just made a deal with the devil.

* * *

**Why Puck? Why? **

**So there you have it.**** I'm sure the kids are just going to _love_ this new development...**

Either Puck is a good husband or a stupid man. You decide. Chapter 4 will be up tomorrow around the same time. Thank you again for all the love and support.

Please. Please! _Please _Review!


	4. Benedict Arnold

**Happy Friday everyone! I bring you the gift of chapter 4. **

**First major props to my beta for holding my hand on the really scary parts of this ride. She's working just as hard as I am. Sorry for any mistakes that we may have let slipthrough the cracks but nobody is perfect. **

**Secondly thank soooooooo much for all the reviews. They keep a smile on my face and my fingers on the keyboard. Really I hit a wall while writing last night and got a review at 3 am that helped me push through it. So thank you for loving this family as much as I do. **

**Lastly some questions about the time line. As far as I'm concerned everything that has happened in the show so far has happened in this world. So that means all of season 1 and the first half of season 2. **

**Hope that clears some things up. Let's move on to the real reason why you're reading this...**

* * *

This was the worst date night they've ever had. Puck had insisted on taking Rachel out for dinner so they could talk and have some alone time but he hadn't plan for the night to go like this. She was pissed.

Rachel slammed the door of the truck and stomped off to the house with out even waiting for her husband. This was worst than the time that stewardess had offered to make him a member of the mile high club right in front of her and the children on their trip to Disney World when they were seven. She stuck her keys in the door and swiftly opened it. She attempted to slam the door in his face but he caught it and walked in unaltered.

"Rach, come on you can't seriously be pissed at me. I didn't even do anything." He said while taking off his jacket and hanging it in the hall closet.

"You had sex with her didn't you?" She finally exploded now that they were in their own home and she could yell as loud as she wanted.

"Yeah... okay so maybe I did. But it was a long time ago it's not like I did that shit yesterday or anything." He told her.

"Ugh!" She said throwing her coat at him. He easily caught it and hung it up. "This was the worst date ever, Noah." She told him and she continued to storm into the house. "She flirted with you the whole night. She got my order completely wrong." Rachel stopped when she reached the family room and saw her son watching TV. "Caleb, go to your room please." She told him

"Aw man. Ben 10: Ultimate Alien is on," He said

"You heard your mother," Puck said "Wait…Ben 10 is a bad ass mother fucker. Record that shit to the DVR," Rachel rolled her eyes at her husband antics.

Caleb smiled as he hit the record button, turned off the TV, and made his exit.

As soon as he was out of sight Rachel continued her rant. "For goodness sakes she spilled your drink on your crotch so she could help you 'clean up'! And what did you do? You pretended not to notice." She threw a pillow at him

"Okay look she didn't get anywhere near the goods so I think we all dodged a bullet there. And so maybe she was my lab partner in freshman year of high school and maybe we did fool around a little bit so I could keep my A in the class. She wasn't even good. I was using her for the grade and as soon as I moved out of the class I dropped her okay?" He said sweetly as if this cleared the whole situation up.

"Nice one dad!" They heard from the staircase.

"Caleb,"

"Sorry,"

"Noah, this isn't about if she was good or not, this is about her throwing her self at you and you doing absolutely nothing about it."

"What! I didn't encourage that shit. She came on to me!"

Rachel stormed her way around the family room, picking up things and making them tidy while she continued to make her point. "But you didn't discourage her either! Gosh, why is this so hard for you to understand how I feel? Women throw themselves at you and you just let them!"

"Well, what am I supposed to do? Bitch slap them into next week, baby that's assault" He told her playfully.

"Ugh!" She said storming past him and making her way upstairs. She had every notion in her mind of locking herself in the bathroom and _sleep_ there. Why could he not understand how things like that make her feel insecure? He's supposed to be telling her that she's the only one and not making jokes about her feelings. "You know for once I'd like to go to a place where someone you slept with wasn't in a five mile radius" She said as she stomped her way up the stairs.

"Well baby you know my history and I have to be honest. I don't think you could go anywhere on the continental US,"

"Ugh!" Rachel said and she took her shoe and threw it down at his head from the top of the steps. There it was; the shoe. When she got so upset that words escaped her and the only way to express her feelings was by throwing things; normally her shoes.

He easily dodged it and looked back at her chuckling. She's so hot when she mad. "You know I think there are some places in Canada and Europe would be off limits too."

Rachel glared down at him. She slipped off her other shoe and threw it down at his head. This one he wasn't ready for and the shoe hit him right on the side of his forehead.

"Ow. God Damn it! Son of a-" Puck said clapping a hand to his wound.

Rachel felt all of the anger drain from her body. She rushed down the stairs to help him; maternal instincts kicking in. "Oh honey I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" She asked concerned.

"No, I'm not okay. My crazy ass wife threw her shoe at me!" He said back to her while she tried to pull his hand away and access the damage for herself.

"Well, you normally dodge it." She told him in her own defence.

"You normally only throw one," He said back to her.

She finally got his hand away and saw that her heel had cause a gash in his head. It was bleeding pretty badly. "Oh gosh, it's bleeding, here sit down on the couch and I'll get the stuff to clean it up."

"It's all fun and games till someone throws a shoe" He mumbles as she leaves to get the first aid kit. She found it quickly, stopped by the kitchen to get a wet paper towel and made her way back to the living room.

When she came back she noticed him slumped down in the couch with his head tilted back. It looked like he was sleeping and panic sunk in. Maybe she hit him harder than she thought. "Noah! Noah? Wake up? Did I give you a concussion? Wake up! You can't fall asleep after a concussion. Oh God, should I call an ambulance?" She wondered looking for her phone. She stopped he she felt his hand reach out and grab hers pulling her to his lap.

"I don't have a concussion crazy. I just don't want to bleed all over the new couch and have you yell at me for it." He told her peeking his eyes open.

She breathed a sigh of relief and began cleaning his wound. All was quiet for moment. She was concentrating on her work he was concentrating on not looking like he was staring at her boobs until Rachel couldn't take the silence anymore. "I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"You should be. Now I have to go in and tell the guys I got into a huge fight with a guy twice my size." He told her playfully.

"No, Noah not about throwing the shoe." She paused "Well yes, about throwing the shoe, but I'm also sorry for starting a fight." She stopped her work and looked into his eyes.

His hands came up around her waist "Aw baby-"

"No," she told him. She had to get out what she was feeling. He wasn't going to take the blame this time. Here's the thing about their fights (well about their relationship period) 75% of the things that go wrong are his fault. They both know it.

So on those rare 25% occasions when something is actually her fault she refuses to let him take the blame. That's how they keep the delicate balance in their relationship. "It's just sometimes when I see these beautiful women throw themselves at you, I get- I don't know – insecure. And I know that's silly but in my mind, I understand that you've had a wide variety of sexual experience and even dating experience and I just don't see how I could compare. Sometimes I'm afraid you're getting bored of me, or of our family or the whole domesticated life as whole and I just love you so much that it drives me crazy to think that maybe somewhere out there someone else could make you happier." She said finally breaking down into tears. She hid her face in his chest so he wouldn't see.

It's not like this was the first time she's felt like this. Hell this wasn't even the first time they've had this argument. Every year or so one of them totally flips out and worries that the other will get up and leave one day.

"Baby, look at me." He told her and waited for her to sit up and look him in the eye before dropping a sweet kiss to her lips. "You're being stupid," he told her.

"Noah-"

"No, babe you really are being stupid. You really think I'd be happier out there with some random skank than with the beautiful mother of my children. Come on, babe you know me. They don't even hold a candle to you," He told her as he wipe the tears away from her cheeks. "You wanna know why I don't do anything when someone comes on to me? Because to me, whoever they are, they aren't even a blip on my radar. All I see is you. All I know is you and all I love is you. So stop being stupid," He said before leaning in and kissing her deeply.

She leaned into the kiss and slipped her tongue in his mouth. She was being stupid and she knew it. Of course he was happy with her. Their family may be a little dysfunctional but she wouldn't have it any other way. They were perfect to her. That was all that mattered. They were perfect and happy and in their world nothing could go wrong.

She shifted a bit so she can straddle his lap. Her dress rode up a bit but neither one of them was complaining. She pulled back a little and touched her forehead to his. "I love you," She whispered to him and felt him smile.

"You know you're kinda hot when you're being all jealous and stupid," He told her, giving her a peak on her lips a few times.

"And you're kinda hot when you're right."

"Babe please," He said looking her in the eye "I'm always hot."

She giggled and moved her hips a bit. "Let's have make up sex now" She concluded.

It's what they do. They fight. They make up. They laugh. They have sex. He chuckled as she attacked his neck and started unbuttoning his shirt. He pulled back only slightly. Since dinner had been such a disaster he had to try to get this out now.

"Actually, I have something I wanted to talk to you about."

Rachel paused to try to determine if he was serious or not. He never said no to sex especially make-up sex. "Is it more important than sex?" She asked running her tongue over his ear and biting his lobe. Who was she kidding, she was in the mood and when she wanted her man she _got_ her man.

Puck sigh "God help me it is," He said trying to hold her hands from unbuttoning his shirt.

"Okay, I'll tell you what. How about I work on the sex part and you work on the talking part and we'll see who gets finished first." She said taking her hands back and undoing the last of his buttons. She opened his shirt and ran her hands down his abs biting her lips seductively before kissing his neck again and grinding down.

"Actually I wanted to talk about….oh God…..um….I was thinking about….Fuck Rach…" He said struggling for higher brain function. "I think you should take St. Douche's offer." He finally managed to blurted out.

That effectively stopped all movement. Rachel pulled back and looked at him. "What?"

"I called him today to find out what he was really offering and I'm gonna admit it sounded pretty damn good to me."

"Noah why would you-"

"Because you sure as hell didn't tell me anything about it and you made your decision without even talking to me."

"There was nothing to talk about," She said and tried to get up from his lap. His hands kept her in her place.

"Well I think there is. This offer…it sounds like the real deal Rach. And I think we should at least consider taking it."

Rachel folded her arms and looked away from him but he gently unfolded them and turned here face back to his. "Why did you say no? I mean I thought playing Maria was your dream."

"It was my dream, Noah, but I'm in no position to be considering-"

"Babe, I am_ loving _your position right now," He said gesturing to the way she was straddling him. She laughed and buried her face in his chest.

"I mean it. I haven't done any work on the stage in such a tremendous amount of time. I can't just play Maria especially in a production of this size. I mean the Chicago Theater circuit is not a place for amateurs."

"Please you haven't got one amateur bone in your body." She went to argue but he cut her off. "Look, so you haven't danced in a few years. You can pick that shit back up. You've still got a fucking amazing voice and when to comes to acting if you can stomach being in the same room as St. Fucktard and not want to punch him in the face. I think you're pretty much covered. Don't give up on your dream so easily." He told her while rubbing circles on her exposed thighs.

"I'm too old" she whispered to him.

"Fuck that. Somebody Menzel was in her thirty's when she stared in thatplay about the sad green chick. And Kristin what's-her-name was forty when she did some other important shit on Broadway. I know, I googled that shit" He told her proudly.

She stared at him for a few moments trying to gauge his reasoning "What about my other responsibilities? I can't just abandon them."

"Like what?" He challenged

"Like my voice lessons, the Children's Theater Thanksgiving production and Glee club?"

"Look we can cover you" He said easily. Rachel just arched her eye brow to him "Caleb can take over your voice lessons. I mean come on Rach it's a bunch of ten year olds that want to be the next Britney Spears. I think he can handle them." She sighed in defeat. "Sarah's always helping you with the Children's Theater anyway, so she can just take that over. It's not like it has to be an Academy Award winning production anyway. Just slap some cute costumes on the little mouth breathers, stick them on the stage and their parents are happy."

"I'm glad to see what you really think of my work. What about Glee huh? We got to Nationals last year. It's not as easy as 'slapping some costumes on the mouth breathers and sticking them on the stage' Noah, Glee actually requires work and guidance. I really think-"

"I'll take over Glee" He said with out thinking.

"What? You can't take over Glee club"

"Yes I can. I was in the club for 3 years I'm sure I can handle them until you get back. I'll even call in backup to help me if I need it. Face it Rach. You don't have any excuse not to take this deal."

"Why do you want me to take this so badly?" She said placing both hands behind his neck.

"Well because I once knew a girl who used to put a gold star behind signing her name. In fact she put gold stars everywhere; they were kind of her thing. You see the stars were a metaphor or some shit for her one day being a star and metaphors are important." He told her playfully before turning serious. "I'm already living my dream baby. I've got everything that I've ever wanted right here in my hands. It's time for you to go after yours," She let a small smile grace her lips as few tears spilled out of her eyes. "Besides how are you gonna tell the kids to go after their dreams if you never went after yours."

She leaned in and hugged herself to his chest again. This time she failed to try control her tears. "Are we really doing this?" She asked.

"Yeah, babe we're doing this" He said into her hair.

"I'm scared," She whispered.

"I know you are but that's the fun part about being an adult. You still do the thing that scares the shit out of you."

She laughed at his logic. He was right. She needed to do this. This part of her has been on hold for so long that she almost forgot it was there. If she was ever going to do it, now was the time; time to stand tall and go after what she's wanted for so long. Only…"Noah this is going to be hard. I mean not only on me but on you and the kids. How are we going to get through this?"

He shrugged "We just are. The way I see it, getting married at nineteen was hard and we did that. Trying to get two degrees with a newborn was hard and we worked that shit out just find. Feeding two kids and paying the rent was hard but somehow we did it. Just like we're gonna do this. We're not bitching out cause it's hard," He told her before pulling her lips down to his for a lingering kiss. His hands found their way up her thighs again and started heading to the promise land. "You still in the mood for that make-up sex?"

She shook her head no and almost laughed at the pout on his fact. She decided to put him out of his misery "I'm in the mood for thank-you sex," she said with a small smile.

"Thank you sex is so much hotter than make-up sex," He said as he reached for her zipper and she started unbuckling his belt. They heard a noise from the kitchen that made them both freeze.

"Oh gross! Did you guys make me leave just so you can have sex on the couch?" They heard their son shout from the kitchen.

"Good Night Caleb!" They said in unison.

"Wrap it up. I don't want another brother or sister," He said as he made his way upstairs.

* * *

They decided to tell the children the next night; Thursday nights are always game nights. Rachel had been making them do this for a long time now. Some shit about quality family time and a nurturing environment. All he knew that was losers had to make breakfast Saturday mornings for the winners and he hasn't made a Saturday morning breakfast in almost 3 years.

His secret was to play to his partner's strength. The kids called it cheating that he and Rachel always got each other for partners and then kick their asses. So they made rule that every week they had to switch partners. He knew how to work everyone to his advantage. Sarah was a whiz at Scrabble and Scattergories. Caleb could wipe the floor with anyone at Spades, Hearts and Poker. And he and Rach were like a well oiled machine when it came to Charades, Taboo and Catch Phrase.

Yup game nights always held the best memories for them and he figured tonight would be the same. One slight miscalculation was telling the kids before they stared the games.

"What the HELL man? Way to be a Benedict Arnold" Caleb blurted out

"You're kidding right. You're not actually letting mom go with that St. Fuckface guy are you?" Sarah asked her dad.

"Yeah, traitor you're supposed to be on our side," Caleb said.

"Look," He said to his kids defensively "I hate the guy as much-if not more -than you guys do. But just cause he's a Fuck face son of a bitch doesn't mean that his offer isn't good and your mom shouldn't take it."

They were quiet and glaring at him. Rachel was upstairs packing while he broke the news to the kids. He knew they might act like this and he didn't want their negativity to bring her down. She'd been happy and excited about the opportunity and he was going to do whatever he could to keep it that way.

"This is complete and utter bullshit." Sarah said finally "You know he's just gonna try something with her right."

"Yeah why don't you just stab mom in the back while your at it. Et tu Brutus?" Caleb yelled. Puck looked at his son confused.

"Brutus betrayed Caesar by stabbing him in the back" Sarah explained .

"Look, your mom's a big girl and she can handle her own." He told them. They both gave him looks that suggested that they believed otherwise.

"What about all the shit she has going on here; is she just gonna cancel Glee and shit so she can run of and be famous?" Caleb asked. He was beyond pissed. One thing dad always taught him was to protect his family. Yeah, they may fight and argue but his family was the most important thing. How the hell was he suppose to protect it if it was four hours away.

"Well I'm gonna take over Glee club." He told them

"You," Sarah said snorting

"Yeah me, what you don't think I can do that shit?"

She shrugged. "What about the other stuff; voice lessons, and Children's Theater. Is that shit just not important anymore?"

"Yea it's important." He told them getting fed up with their attitude. I mean seriously. "We're all gonna help mom out with her shit okay. Caleb you'll take over voice lessons and Sarah you'll take over full time at the Theater."

"What?"

"Hell No!"

"Yeah I got better shit to do than-"

"Babysit some spoiled, tone deaf-"

"-snot nose brats."

"Okay, you know what I'm getting pretty fucking ticked at way you guys are acting. And right now I'm kinda ashamed of you." He said to them. That caught there attention "Your mom has sacrificed and dedicated her whole life to you kids and now when she's finally got a chance to do something to truly make _her_ happy you guys are turning your backs on her. That's some fucked up shit man and I thought you two were better than that."

Caleb and Sarah both bowed their heads in shame. When Dad spoke to them like this it always cut like a knife. They knew he right. If mom needed their help she should get it with out question.

Sarah looked up at Caleb and they had one of their unspoken conversations. For now they lost the battle but they'd make a plan to turn this shit around whether dad was gonna help or not. No way could mom run off with St. Fuckface. Not if they had anything to do with it. They'd accept defeat for now but this war is far from over.

Rachel chose that moment to enter the tense family room. She looked to Noah hesitantly expecting the reaction from her children. He grabbed her with one arm and kissed her forehead. "So who's ready for game night?" She said cheerfully.

Sarah was the first to scowl "I'm not really in the mood for game night anymore," She said while getting up from the couch and throwing the pillow back down.

"Yeah me either," Caleb added dejectedly. Just cause they were excepting defect didn't mean they had to do it graciously. They both headed to the exit.

Rachel looked at Puck who just glared at his kids. "Hey! I don't give a shit if you're in mood or not. It's fucking game night. So get your asses back here, pick up a fucking scrabble tile holder and pretend for one second that you're a bunch of teens that give flying fuck about what you're parents say and not be the bitching spoiled brats you are now."

They sat back down and the game went on as planned. Caleb scored the first few points with the works 'sucks'. Sarah soon followed up with 'Betrayal'. Puck tried to earn points with 'self-centered' but it was an invalid word. Rachel broke the tension and anger by spelling out one word on the board 'Family'.

Now was not the time for them to be turning on each other. Right now they needed each other more than ever. She knew they were upset with one another but something had to be done.

"You know let me make sure this word is valid and check the scrabble dictionary," She said glancing around at all of them daring them to tell her no. She grabbed the dictionary and proceeded to read the definition out loud "Family: a group of persons related by blood or marriage," well that was anti-climatic and it certainly wouldn't do for making them realize that they all been acting like idiots. So she made up the rest "…who care, respect and love one another so deeply that they would make any sacrifice to protect each other. A family is one of the strongest units known to man and the members look past one another's flaws to cherish the person within. A well-built family is able to endure any hardships that come their way through love and trust."

Rachel just gave a verbal bitch slap to the whole family and they all felt the sting of shame. They were stunned silent basically feeling the same thing, guilt. This was going to be one of their last game nights as a family and they were wasting it being pissed at each other. Puck was the first to break the ice.

"No fucking way the scrabble dictionary says all that." They all chuckled

Sarah added on "Yeah mom you were doing good till you got all PBS after-school special on us at the end." She leaned in and gave her mom a hug.

"So…who wants to play some Mario cart?" Caleb asked hesitantly

They all jumped up and abandoned the scrabble game from hell. The rest of the night the Puckerman family enjoyed their game night and one of the last times they'd get to all be together in the next couple months.

And needless to say Puck won.

* * *

**I'm sorry I'm breaking up the happy family but it will get better I promise. **

**In the mean time though I need some help. Since Puck is taking over Glee club I need ideas for a song he would pick for them. Remember this is Puck so the song has to be totally badass. Just send me a PM or a review with your ideas.**

**Thanks again for all of the support. Chapter Five is being checked right now and will be up tomorrow. Please don't forget to review. It brings a smile to my face.**

**Thanks again. Review.**


	5. Single Parent Blues

**I am so sorry! I know it's been a few days since I've posted and this chapter was supposed to be up a while ago. My beta Red Satin Black Silk got sick and I just got chapter 5 back this morning. Also I just found out I'll be moving soon so I don't think I'll be able to keep up the chapter a day thing. But I will try to post at least 2 or 3 times a week.**

**Some good news is Chapter 6 is done and I'm in the middle of Chapter 7. Plus I figured out exactly where I'm taking this family. I hate to say butit's going to get worst before it gets better. But there will be plenty of Caleb and Sarah to help us get through. **

**Thank you again sooo much to everyone who is following this story. Your support means the world to me. Thank you for all the reviews and love. Your words bring a smile to my face and inspires me to continue writing even when it's 3 am and I have to get up in the morning. So thanks!**

**This chapter is pretty long. I hope you enjoy. **

* * *

They had this discussion many times before but it never ceases to amaze Rachel when it happened. In their marriage there are three different types of intercourse: sex, 'fucking' (Noah's words not her own), and making love.

Sex was a normal expression of love for them and they had sex all the time. In fact it was exceptionally rare for them to go a day without a quickie in the shower or on the kitchen counter. They had to be more careful when it came to having sex though, especially in places that weren't their sound proof room. Even though their children knew they had sex (quiet often), Rachel didn't want to emotionally traumatize them by letting them catch them in the act. She had caught her parents once and that's partly why she spent most of her high school career a virgin

'Fucking' rarely occurred for them. They only fucked when they had been apart so long that the carnal need and lust for each other overtook every higher brain function available. It was hot, fast, and it was usually done in a very public place. The last time it happened was a few months ago when Rachel picked her husband up from the airport after he had just gotten back from a conference in Dallas. She hadn't planed on it but as soon as she saw him; some animalistic instinct inside of her kicked in and she pounced him in the airport parking lot. Not a moment that she was proud of but Noah seemed to enjoy every moment of it immensely.

But on the rarest occasions in their marriage was the act of making love. Noah hated the term but there were no other words to describe what occurred between them. It happened once in a blue moon but when act was done they both felt the effects, weeks after. Making love for them was more than just being jointed physically; it became a mental and emotional connection they shared. All fears and thoughts of the outside world were lost and the only thing that existed was the two of them. They both gain a sense of comfort, reassurance and strength from the act. And when they were done; it was as if they were completely in tune with the other and it felt as if they could tackle anything life threw at them as long as they were in each others arms.

That's what Rachel and her husband shared the eve of her departure from Lima. Noah made a nice dinner, popped in Star Wars for some quality family time (She didn't know what it was about her husband and children but they were all convinced that being a Jedi was so 'badass'). Afterwards he cleaned up the kitchen, took her up stairs, and made love to her.

That night she fell into a peaceful sleep in the arms of her husband. It didn't matter what tomorrow or the months to come held because she was in his arms. She was safe.

* * *

Puck woke up early that Sunday morning with a feeling of dread. He held on to the beautiful woman, sound asleep, next to him and thought about how much he was going to miss her. She was his whole life and in a little less than an hour; he would have to let her go and watch her walk away from him.

Fuck that train of thought. He had to keep reminding himself to keep it together. If he started to cry; there would be no way Rachel would be able to leave. He had to be strong for her. If he didn't then he would be the selfish asshole that he wanted to be, and he would fuck her to she couldn't see straight. In doing so, he would remind her why she shouldn't leave.

But he loved her (way more than he loved his own miserable life) and would do anything to make her happy. Hell, he'd cut his heart out and put it on a fucking plate if that's what it took. This felt close to it.

When he knew he couldn't put it off any longer; he took a deep breath, nuzzled her neck, and whispered a soft "Good morning Mrs. Puckerman" to her.

She turned in his arms and kissed him full on the lips. "Good morning to you." She murmured against his lips before rolling out of bed and heading for the bathroom to shower. Puck got up reluctantly and made his way to kitchen to make them both some coffee. He didn't bother making the bed. She would just re-make it when she got out anyway.

He reached the kitchen and was surprised to see two sleepy teens had already beaten him there.

"What the fuck are you guys doing up?" He asked them as he started to make the coffee.

"Waiting to say goodbye to mom," Caleb mumbled with his eyes still closed and his head was lying against his fist.

Sarah lifted her head up from where it rested in her arms on the table "We didn't know what time she was leaving so we've been down here since five," She said before slumping back down on her arms.

Puck glanced at the clock. It was six thirty and they were down here for an hour and a half. He smiled at his kids. "Well she'll be down soon."

They both just nodded their heads but made no other movements. He finished making the coffee while gathering his thoughts. This was the best decision for Rachel. It was a good opportunity for her and she'd be happy. That was all that mattered.

He wasn't lying when he told her this was his dream. All he had ever really wanted was a family and a place to belong. So when she got pregnant he didn't think twice about marrying her and going the whole nine yards. Yeah that shit was hard but he loved her and if he wasn't good enough for her, then fuck you because he'd make himself good enough. They made it work like they always did. But something that douche said was still ringing in his ear.

_I see her stuck and trapped by a man that isn't good enough for her_

All this time he never thought about it that way. Did he really trap Rachel? He knew this wasn't the life she had dreamed of (obliviously) but she was happy right? He didn't know. Sure St. Jackass is a cock sucking son of a bitch but that didn't mean he couldn't be right.

Rachel did have dreams before they got together. And if this was her shot, he was going to make sure she got it. He could hold down the fort here and she could go and live out her dream. Well at least for a little while. They could figure out all that other shit later.

He made a mug for him and a travel mug for Rachel. Her car was already packed. Well it was technically Caleb's car. It wasn't practical for Rachel to take the mini van all the way to Chicago with her so after much discussion (yelling) and trading (begging) a compromise (deal) was reached. Mom got the car and Caleb got full time driving privileges back as long as he went to his tutoring sessions with his aunt Santana on the weekends.

Rachel finally entered the kitchen with a sad smile on her face. She raised an eyebrow to her husband and gestured over to their sleeping children.

"They've been down here for about an hour waiting to say good bye to you," He told her.

She took a deep breath to calm the onslaught of fresh tears threatening to appear. She loved her children so much and see them support her like this (no matter how reluctant in the beginning) overwhelmed her with pride.

No matter what they felt about Jesse or the situation as a whole they still loved and supported her and that thought alone warmed her heart. No mother could be prouder of her children. She walked over to her son and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to wake him up.

He jolted awake. It took a moment to remember where he was but when he saw his mother standing there with an amused look on her face. He quickly stood and gave her a big hug. "I love you mom."

"I love you too sweetie," Her baby boy; the first addition to their little family. He changed her and Noah's life altogether but she never once could regret having him. This was the way life was supposed to be. He was supposed to be her little boy and she never questioned it. She tried to hold back the tears in her eyes. He was so grown up now, taller than her by a head. He'd be the reasonable one in the house while she was gone.

He pulled back and kissed her on the cheek. "Don't think twice about calling me to punch Mr. Douchetard in the face."

She laughed through the tears that were gathering. "I won't," she told him. Before turning to her daughter to gently wake her up. "Sarah, sweetie it's time for me to go."

Sarah protested "Five more minutes Mr. Cullen and then I'll be your vampire slave." Caleb snorted and her eyes shot open. She looked around confused for a few moments before quickly remembering where she was and why she was there. She stood up and wrapped her arms around her mom in a big hug. "Bye mom,"

"Goodbye honey," She said before pulling back. She was the second edition to their lives: the one that changed everything…again. But Rachel wouldn't have had it any other way. She always wanted a little girl and she couldn't have been happier when Sarah arrived. Rachel was a little concerned that she would be overshadowed by the boys but Sarah always made her presences and feelings known. She'd be the cunning one while she was gone.

She noticed her daughter hesitated. "What?"

"Nothing it's just…."She said uncomfortably "Please-don't-have-sex-with-St.-Fuckface," She finally blurted out

"Gross! Then you would have Fuckface germs ma," Caleb chimed in.

Rachel was shocked. She looked over at Noah who looked just as shocked. Is that what they think was going to happen? No wonder they were so against this. To them it was the happy fabric of their lives ripping and the beginning of a divorce. Do they really think that one offer could change all that; that their family could mean so little to her?

"Children listen, I love your father; very very much. Just like I love the both of you more than I can even express and nothing is going to change that. No deal or no man is ever going make me love you all less. You are my life, my joy, and my passion and I would do anything for you," She reassured them and hugged them both together closely to her.

"So just to make sure we're all on the same page" Caleb mumbled from her shoulder "you're not going fuck fuckface?"

She pulled back brushed the hair out of his eye. "I'll do my best not to," She told them with a smile and pinching his cheeks the way that he hated.

"Oh ma,"

"Okay well, now that we are clear that mom is not going to be fucking fuckface, it's time for her to hit the road." Puck said coming up behind Rachel with her coffee in hand. She gave one last hug to both of her children

"You guys keep each other out of trouble okay," She said as she started to head towards the door.

Caleb and Sarah looked at each other and laughed "Yeah mom that is _so_ not going to happen," Sarah told her while her brother nodded in agreement.

Rachel gave them one last wave goodbye before she was heading out the door and towards the car. Noah followed close behind. He handed her the keys and she opened the door to put her purse, coffee and directions in the car. She turned back to him trying to swallow the lump that was in her throat and the tears that were in her eyes

Goodbyes weren't new to them. Noah's job forced him to travel around every few months or so and for a week or two at a time so they had to get used to it. But this time it was different for Rachel. She was used to playing her part as the stable spouse at home that watches the other leave. It was a terrifying feeling that she was one that had to leave the safety and love in the house in order to go face the harsh realities world on her own and be brave about it. She hasn't felt this small in a very long time.

She finally couldn't help it any more and broke down into his chest.

Puck was waiting for this. Her breakdown was inevitable. She always did it. Right before they were going to leave each other for long period of time. She'd put a brave face on all morning, and keep it till after the kids said their goodbyes but when it was just the two of them she could never hold it. All last minute sadness and doubt always came seeping back.

It started with the kids. She was starting to crack, he could see it in her eyes but she held it long enough to get out the door. At this point he figured he had two options. Option 1: he could shut the car door, pick her up, carry her into the house, kiss away every tear and lock her away telling her that she doesn't need to go. That sounded fucking fantastic to him. But deep down he knew he couldn't.

So he had not choice but to go with Option 2: Be strong enough and make her leave. Option 2 fucking sucked.

He pulled her too him move and rested his head on top of her head. He traces soothing circles on her back and shushed her with rocking motions.

Let her go Puckerman. Let her go. He told himself. She wasn't even yours to begin with; you were just borrowing her for a while. Let her go be happy. That's the thing about letting go, your never quiet sure what's gonna happen. It's a risk.

If she goes to Chicago and decides that she really was trapped here in Lima what the fuck is he gonna do? What the fuck is he supposed to tell his kids? Or say she gets all her fame and fortune and wants to take the family with her? Are they gonna pack up and leave their whole life? There were too many risks when it comes to letting go and as much as uncertainty was a bitch (which it really was) it would hurt even more to sit there and watch her never try.

He had to let her go. There was no way around it; he had to let her live her dream and deal with what ever shit comes from it later. They've gotten through everything else that fate or God or whoever else had fucking threw their way. They'd get through this. He loved her and he loved his kids and damn it they weren't going to survive.

She sobbed even harder into his chest. He could do this. He could be strong for her. Fuck that. He would be strong for her; it looked like he was going to have to break out the big guns to calm her. He's only had to do this a few times in their marriage: when they found out they were pregnant again and didn't know what to do, when she lost regional's her first year after she took over the club and when her dad's died in that car crash about five years ago.

He took a deep breath before he started to sing softly in her ear.

_Where it began  
I can't begin to knowin  
But then I know it's growin strong _

She pulled him tighter to her but made more of an effort to get her sobs under control. He just continued on singing.

_Was in the spring  
And spring became the summer  
Who'd have believed you'd come along _

Rachel finally started taking deep breaths and calming down.

_Hands_

He sang sweetly brushing her hair back to expose her neck to him.

_Touching hands._

He places a gently kiss to the spot on her neck.

_Reaching out._

He said softly placing his hands on both sides of her face. He tilted her head up so she was looking him in the eye.

_Touching you_

_Touching me._

He continued to sing while kissing both sides of her cheek. Then he leaned forward and touched their foreheads together while singing

_Sweet Caroline  
Good times never seemed so good _

He pulled back to look her in the eye.

_I've been inclined  
To believe they never would _

He leaned down and kissed her lips before bring her back to his chest for a hug. "I've been thinking all night about what I was going to say to you," He spoke into her hair. "And I guess the only thing I can really say is." He paused for dramatic effect before smirking "They greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return"

She laughed against his chest. "Did you steal that from Moulin Rouge?"

"Fuck babe, Moulin Rouge stole that from me." He laughed while she smacked him playfully in the chest and pulled back a little.

She knew what he was trying to do. He was being strong so she could go. She saw it in his eyes. You don't stay married to someone for so long and not pick up how to read their eyes. He was just as scared as she was but he was pushing it all down so she could go. She couldn't help but fall in love with him just a little bit more for this. Not only was he making her go after her dream but he was holding her hand while she reached for it.

She smiled up at him through her tears. "Noah this is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be."

"I know babe." He told her "But one day this is all going to be a memory and soon you'll be back in my arms, and I'll be making you scream my name at night." He joked "The kids will pull their shit and try to get by but never will cause we totally kick ass at this parenting shit" He said like it was oblivious "and we'll be one big fucking happy family again." He smiled down at her "I mean it babe the Brady bunch won't have shit on us." She laughed. And he knew it was time_. Let her go Puckerman you can deal with all the other shit later but right now let her go._ "But the only way we're going to get there is if you stop crying, get your fine ass in that car and go to Chicago." He pecked her lips sweetly "I'll be here when you get back,"

She moved forward deepening the kiss and never wanting to move from his lips. If she died right there, she would die a happy woman. She could go; she had to go. The kids, the house, the Glee club would be fine because he would take care of it. He would be the rock while she was gone and like always, he was strong and unmovable in his love. After several moment of making out she pulled back "I love you." She told him.

"I know" He said back playfully quoting Star Wars..

She pecked him once more "No more star wars for you," She told him as she got in the car and started it. This was it. She was really doing this. She rolled down the window for one more kiss and one more goodbye. "It's only five months and I'll be four hours away if you need me. Don't hesitate to call and I will be home for Sarah's birthday, Thanksgiving and Hanukah so really-"

"Will you shut the fuck up and leave already," He told her with a smirk.

"Bye," She said one final time as she pulled out of the drive and drove off.

He watched the retreating car until it turned the corner at the end of the street. He did it. He let her go and that was one of the hardest fucking things he ever had to do. He couldn't even really describe how he felt, kinda queasy and stoned but mostly he just felt numb.

He had to do something. Get his mind off of this shit. He walked back in the house to find his kids still sleeping at the table. They were startled awake again as he started pulling out pots and pans.

"Is mom gone," Sarah asked quietly while they watched him work.

Fuck yeah she was gone. She was gone and he was left here without her trying not to freak the fuck out. "Uh yeah" he said, focusing on the ingredients for pancakes. As long as he focused on this he'd be fine "You guys want breakfast?" He asked

"No,"

"Not really,"

"Good," He said completely ignoring them. "It'll be done soon,"

* * *

The Puckerman children sat the table loaded with food and watched their father shovel it down with slight shock. They had woken up from their kitchen nap to find that he had not only made breakfast but lunch as well and maybe even dinner. Pancakes, waffles, eggs, hash browns, grits, sausages, hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, and even tacos. He must had been on a roll because there was enough food on the table for them to eat for the next couple days. Not that they didn't enjoy it (dad made the best tacos) but they could tell something was wrong.

Sarah kicked her brother under the table to get his attention. She gestured over to her father to tell him to say something. He was the oldest and as such it was his place to take charge of the situation.

Caleb scoffed at his sister and shook his head. No way was he poking the sleeping bear. Well, in this case he guessed it was the eating bear. Either way it didn't matter because one thing he knew about his dad was that nine times out of ten if his dad didn't know how he felt then his natural reaction was always anger. And he just got his full time car privileges back and there was no way was he fucking that shit up.

Sarah sighed at her idiot brother and turned to man that was now shoving a hot dog wrapped in a waffle into his mouth. "Daddy," She asked hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

"Huh," He said stopping in mid bite and looking at the kids for the first time as if he was noticing that they too were at the table. He finished chewing before continuing "Oh yeah I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Well you seem a little…" She was trying to think of a nice word that wasn't gross or confused. "Different now that mom is gone. We just want you to know that we're here for you in this difficult time." She finished gently while taking the hot dog out of his hand.

"What do you mean?" He asked completely clueless.

Caleb decided it was finally time for him to jump up. I mean clueless dad was way better than angry dad. "It's like this dad. This isn't our first time around the rodeo. We've seen this shit a lot when you leave and mom is here with us."

"You see, we noticed a pattern of unusual behavior that usually tends to ensue when some are …" going fucking crazy was what she really wanted to say. "grieving their spouses departure."

"Yeah we call it the 'Single Parent Blues'. Basically means you go all bat shit crazy because you just went from a 'we' to an 'I' and you don't know how to deal," Caleb put bluntly

"Caleb," Sarah kicked her brother under the table. If they were going to help their dad through this, they'd need to be a little more sensitive to his needs. At least not out right call him fucking crazy.

"What? He needs to know," He said rubbing his shin. That shit hurt.

They looked over at their dad and saw the hesitation in his eyes "What so you guys think I have the 'single parent blues'?" He asked. They nodded to him "You kids are way off,"

"Denial; it's always the first step" Caleb replied

"Caleb!" She said, what the fuck was he doing? She needed him on her side.

There was no time for good cop bad cop. There was only make sure dad doesn't eat him self into a heart attack leaving them orphaned for the next five months. She turned back to her father and tired to ease him into the reality of the situation. "What he's trying to say daddy, is that over the years we've been able to map out the cycle with those who suffer from SPB. The first arc normally starts with denial of the situation."

"You'll walk around all zombified and shit trying not to think about the fact that you're alone," Caleb added while taking a bit of his burger. "Mom normally stands out in the drive way or sits in the car so we won't see her crying." He says while chewing

"They second arc is normally nesting." Sarah continued on ignoring her brother. "You feel the need to take care of house and home. Cooking, Cleaning -"

"Mom goes OCD and reorganizes everything. Gosh remember the time she organized her socks and-"

"Moving on" She said cutting him off. "Next is depression-"

"She'd walk around wearing your clothes. There was lots of ice cream, crying and sad movies," He said ticking them off of his fingers one by one before something dawn on him. "Oh gosh you're not gonna start wearing her clothes now are you? Cause I know you're crazy now and shit but fuck man that's just-"

"Productivity follows after," Sarah said loudly. "You might want to take on a big project; something to really spend your energy on,"

"Usually she just-"

"Over-achievement is next!" Sarah shouted

"Hey?" Caleb protested at being cut off but his sister paid him no mind.

"That's when you try to not only take on one project but you take on 12," She looked to her brother as if daring him to interrupt. He just glared right back but was quiet. "Next is"

"Becoming overwhelmed" He said before her. "You've taken on too many things on top of the responsibilities you already have and you feel like the shitty ass rug is being pulled from under your fucking feet," He stuck his tongue out at her and she shot daggers at him. "Last is accepting your present lonely state and knowing that you work better with a partner than you do on your own. Then they cycle starts all over again but we've only seen mom get through one full rotation. She usually work her way up to depression on her second rotation before you came home." Caleb said finishing their little theory and downing his orange juice.

Sarah had had enough "Oh my god will you shut the fuck up! You're not helping him you're freaking him out you asshole" She finally exploded

"I'm freaking him out? I'm just telling him what it's like and you're one that started telling him about SPB in the first place fucktard!"

"Yeah well you didn't have to go and tell him all the crazy shit mom does when he leaves you dickhead. How the fuck, do you think that makes him feel?" She shouted back.

"FUCKING PREPARED I'D SAY. I KNOW IF MY FEELINGS WERE ALL FUCKED UP. I'D WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE FUCK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN,"

"WELL YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT OTHER PEOPLES FEELINGS"

"PLEASE YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT-"

"WILL YOU BOTH JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP AND STOP FUCKING YELLING," Puck finally shouted from his place at the head of the table. He shocked them both into silence "Language. Gosh I thought you kids weren't supposed to be cussing during meals anyway."

"That's only at the dinner table" Sarah said defensively

"Yeah well I'm saying its dinner now. So stop fucking cussing so damn much."

"Are you really gonna make us follow that rule now that mom's gone?" Caleb asked in disbelief.

"Hell yeah I am." Puck responded to him "So shut up, eat your food and everybody calm the fuck down," He said

Dad was at least partially back. It was a pretty good sign that they were on their way to recovering from SPB. Caleb gave his sister a wink that was his plan the whole time. Nothing could piss his dad off or snap him back in more than him and Sarah mindlessly shouting profanities at each other for no fucking reason. At least now his dad was aware of the fact that he was on the verge of a break down and could hold it in better.

It was going to be a different game dealing with a single parent this time. With mom her crazy kept her sane. With dad it looks like his anger is what's gonna keep him sane. Looks like they'd be doing some pretty interesting things to piss their dad off and keep him lucid for the next few months. Oh joy.

They all went back to eating before Puck spoke again. "Look…I don't have this…S…B…P or whatever the fuck it is you kids are talking about, aright? I just…" he paused. "I'm dealing…so…just bear with me okay? Cause-"

"We know daddy" Sarah told him sincerely. "The first day is the hardest…" She told him quietly as she got up from the table and made her way to the exit.

"Where the fuc-" Caleb started to stay but cut himself off at his fathers warning glance. "Where are you going?"

"I have homework" She told him as she left the kitchen.

Well fuck his life. How did he end up alone in the kitchen with a very emotionally unstable dad? This was hazardous to his heath. At any moment dad could lash out and choke him. Or worse, ground him. He would just leave but then it just looks like he doesn't want to be left alone with him and then he'd lose his car again. That can _not_ happen. He'd have to find a way to make a sly exit.

Puck got up and started clearing the table of all the food and putting it away for later. Caleb felt kind of useless just sitting there watching him so he eventually got up at helped. They quietly worked on their task, each one in their own thoughts until curiosity finally got the best of Caleb. There was one question that's been burning his mind since game night and he had to get it out.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asked hesitantly

"No a threesome isn't all it's cracked up to be" Puck replied on auto-pilot

"Wow, that wasn't what I was going to ask but good to know I guess." He responded. And after thinking about it asked. "How do you even know that?"

"What Caleb?"

"Okay just so we're clear I'm not trying to be an ass or anything. I just really don't understand. Why did you really let mom go to Chicago?"

Puck stopped what he was doing and looked up to stare at his son. The was a pause before he spoke. "Let me show you something," He said smoothly before walking out of the kitchen.

Oh crap! Here it comes. He was going to take him out back and punch him in the face. It's cool he could handle it and take one for the team. But when things went back to normal he was totally telling mom.

He followed his dad out of the kitchen into the living room. He had a seat on the couch while his dad filed through all of their DVDs until he found the one he was looking for. He put it on with out hesitation and sat down next to him.

As soon as the screen popped on Caleb saw it was another crappy show choir performance video with bad lighting and shaky camera work. "Dad mom's already made us watch your old nationals video like a hundred times." He started to complain.

"Trust me you haven't seen this one son. This was sectionals sophomore year; the first official debut of New Directions." He replied.

Caleb glances over to give his father a look to show him he didn't really care but he kept his eyes firmly on the video so Caleb turned back and did the same. The first thing he saw was his mother emerging through a curtain singing 'Don't Rain on My Parade'. He's not gonna lie. She sang the shit out of that song. He knew how talented she was (come on she was his mother) but in the video she just had a little extra spark behind her performance. It was captivating and he was proud that he could call that girl in the video his ma.

When the performance was done he finally spoke "That was really good," He said

He dad just nodded and simply said "She belted that on the fly"

"What?" He asked shocked and confused. There was no way a performance like that had not at least been practiced for weeks if not months to be at that level. Shit, he knew his mom was good but he didn't know she was that good. It was like he had a whole new respect for her.

"Yeah," His dad continued when he saw his words sinking in. "Little background of that performance. We were fucked three ways from Sunday. Some bitch had leaked our set list to the other team. We were last to go and had no songs." He shrugged. "You mother didn't even bat an eyelash she just went out there and belted it and we won."

"I didn't know that," Caleb told him quietly

"That passion and talent that you just saw in that video is same spark she'd had with her, her whole life. Hell it was partly why I fell in love with her." He paused before he continued. "That girl on the screen never got her shot to show what she could really do. And she doesn't regret it, neither do I cause we've both had a great life but," He thought for a moment on how to explain the next part "How can I hold myself any kind of man if I don't give her the one chance she was robbed of?" He looked up into his face. "Do you understand? How can I truly love her and hold her back from the one thing she's ever really wanted?"

Caleb had never heard his dad sound so serious and honestly scared him a little bit.

"It's not about fuckface," Puck continued "It's about that girl on the screen that deserves her chance."

Caleb nodded his head to show he understood but he honestly didn't trust his voice at that moment. Right there in front of him was an example of true love and sacrifice and that shit was deep. His dad hit play and they saw the rest of the performance. He saw all his aunts and uncles on stage singing, dancing and having a good time but he couldn't take his eyes off his mom.

Until he saw his Uncle Finn grab her ass. "Oh gross! I forgot mom dated Uncle Finn,"

His dad just chuckled "Yeah this was still during that era of 'Finchel'," He told him "Don't worry Puckleberry came in and squashed that shit real quick," He said with a proud smile.

Caleb just nodded. What the hell was a puckleberry? He was about to ask when another (more important thought) came to mind. "Oh crap so we should probably back off with our plan to get mom away from fuckface and back home right?"

Puck looked at him with shock "Shit you kids had a plan?"

"Dad come on it's us. We always have plan. Even our plans have plans. And if those plans with plans don't work we have a back up plan. Keep up man."

Puck just shook his head at his son. Before pausing and hesitantly asking "…what the fuck did this plan entail?"

Caleb thought for a moment and tried to proceeded with caution "Nothing completely illegal,"

Puck scoffed and rolled his eyes, what could they possibly plan that could have Rachel running home. "You know what I don't wanna know. As long as you weren't planning on setting the house on fire, we're good." He joked while the DVD ended and he got up to put it back.

Caleb was quiet. "…not the whole house…"

Puck turned in shocked. "What the Fuck! You were going to set this place on fire?" Puck shook his head. They were too smart or their own good and they both had some fucking explaining to do!

* * *

"OH DAMN,"

Caleb heard a yell and was awaken from his sleep. He looked at the time and saw that it said one thirty. He listened again confused by what work him until he heard a cabinet slam downstairs.

Oh hell no! No way was some fucktard trying to break into his house in the middle of the fucking night when he had a fuck Spanish test tomorrow. Fuck that noise he'd take care of this fucker right now.

He jumped out of bed and grabbed his baseball bat. This asshole doesn't know who he's messing with. He pulled open the door, step into the hall way and found his sister coming out of her room in the same fashion only instead of a baseball bat she had a can of hairspray.

"Hairspray? Really? What that fuck is that going to do?" He whispered to her

"I have a lighter in the other hand dummy" She whispered back "It's called a homemade flame thrower."

"Nice," He whispered his approval. He had to give it to his little sis. She always does think outside of the box. The poor fucker downstairs won't even know what hit him. Speaking of which…

Another cabinet slammed down stairs. And Caleb walked a head of his sister. If this Son of a Bitch had acid or a knife or some shit he'd want it to hit him first that way she could run away or at least burn off an eye brow.

They crept downstairs slowly and quietly while listening to more sounds of cabinets slam. It sounded like it was coming from the kitchen. "Damn" he yelled again.

Wait a minute. Caleb knew that voice "Dad?" He asked

"Where the fuck, are my frosted flakes?" He yelled

Sarah and Caleb gave each other a confused look before shuffling ahead to the kitchen. Sure enough they found their father riffling through the cabinets looking for something.

"Daddy what are you doing?" Sarah asked softly

"I couldn't sleep okay," He say turning from the cabinet to look at them "And all I wanted was a damn bowl of cereal but I can't find the fucking frosty flakes?"

He was officially losing his mind. Sure they had seen him pissed when they ate his favorite cereal but they've never actually seen him lose it like this.

"Come on guys. I work hard. I buy you all the shit you need and I all I ask in return is a fucking bowl of frosted flakes whenever I fucking feel like it. God damn it!" He yelled. "What's my rule?"

"Don't eat dad's frosted flakes" They mumbled together

"And why the fuck not,"

"Because they're greaaat," They said in unison.

"So why the hell can't I find a fucking box of Frosted Flakes in my own damn house in the middle of the night."

They were both quiet watching the man before them. "Mom normally keeps an extra box in the cabinet above the fridge," Sarah told him softly.

Puck calmed and stopped his search. He reached up in the cabinet and sure enough found an unopened box of his cereal treat. "Thank you" He murmured and went about making a bowl.

Caleb watched him pour the cereal and milk. And decided he was hungry himself. He walked over to an already opened cabinet and pulled out a pack of pop tarts. He had earned a new respect for his dad that afternoon. He wouldn't hold something like this against him. After all Frosted Flakes are really great. "We miss her too you know," He told him as he opened the pack and handed on to his sister.

Puck nodded his head and moved pass them into the living room. He plopped down on the couch and ate in silence. They just follow him into the living room and took their seats. One sat in the recliner chair in the corner and the other on the smaller couch; neither wanted to crowd their father right now. They all ate in silence.

"You know when we were younger and you would leave mom would let us sleep in her room just so she wasn't lonely," Sarah said with a sad smile.

It was quiet again everyone left to their own thoughts where a noise startled them all 'Sweet Caroline good times never seem so good'. Puck pulled out his phone immediately and answered it on speaker phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi? "Rachel's small voice came on the other line. "Did I wake you? I'm having troubling sleeping"

Puck chuckled and looked at his kids "That problem seems to be going around," He told her.

"Hi Mom!" They yelled to her.

"Kids? What are you doing up? Don't you have school tomorrow?" She asked concerned.

"Yeah but we couldn't sleep," Sarah said sweetly

"Yeah tony the tiger kept us up," Caleb joked.

"Aw well it's great to hear your voices. I miss you all so much."

"Believe me Rach we miss you too," Puck told her. It was quiet again. "So tell us about this place you're at."

"Yeah, did fuckface pick a crappy hotel?" Caleb added

"I wanna know how your trip went," Sarah joined in.

So Rachel told them everything about her four hour dive that turned into a six hour drive because she got lost. She told them about the wonderful hotel that she was at and how she couldn't check in at first because she was using the wrong name. She told them about the suite that Jesse insisted she have because she was a rising star and she only deserved the best. And at the end of her long and detailed story they had all fallen asleep on their various places in the living room.

Rachel smiled to her and said a soft "good night" Through the phone before tucking herself into bed and falling asleep with the phone to her ear as well.

* * *

**So there you have chapter 5. Sorry it got a little fluffy at the end. This chapter gave me a lot of trouble so I hope you enjoyed it.**

**And before I get comments about Puck losing it over the frosted flakes I want to mention that I've gotten yelled at by my dad over honey nut cheerios. So _yes_ it does happen.**

**My reviews are going down. What happen? You guys gotta let me know how I'm doing. Even if the chapter sucks please review. It helps me out sooo much. And it really does inspire me as I write. **

**Thanks again! Please review!**


	6. Chill Out Robin

**Yah! Chapter 6. This one gave me a little trouble and I actually had to rewrite parts of it. But I hope you enjoy.**

**Thanks to my beta for yelling at me and making me rewrite the crappy parts. Thanks to those that review. I should start giving out treats for stuff like that. Maybe like a sneak peak to the next chapter or something. I don't know.**

**I'm not going to talk too long. Thank you for everyones support and sticking with me and this family. Now on to the chapter...**

* * *

The light shining in through the window of Rachel's hotel suite was the first thing that woke her up that Monday morning. She rolled and snuggled deeper into the bed trying to find her husbands warmth until she realized he wasn't there. That was what fully woke her up.

She sat up in the bed and looked at the clock. It was after seven and if she was at home she'd be getting ready for another day at school. Her kids would probably be finding some trivial thing to argue over. Her husband would find some ridiculous but logical way to settle the argument before sending them off to school. That was probably how the morning was going back in their home in Lima. But she wasn't in Lima she was in Chicago. And she was alone.

Just then she heard a beep from her phone. She searched around the bed to find it. She finally located it (tucked between her two pillows) and smiled down at the message from Noah.

_Good Morning Mrs. Puckerman._

He was thinking about her and that filled her with warmth. There was no use sitting around in bed crying all day. If she was going to be away from her family she was going to make it worth wild. She'd take the Chicago stage by storm and come out on top.

And first she would start with a shower. Rachel rolled out of her bed and made it to her perfection before continuing on with her morning shower.

There was a knock at the door just as she finished blow drying her hair and dressing. She quickly went to open it and was pleasantly surprised to see Jesse St. James standing in her door way.

"Morning Beautiful," He greeted before pushing past her and entering the suit.

"Good Morning Jesse," Rachel replied politely, trying to ignore the feeling that having Jesse in her suit was slightly inappropriate. "What are you doing here?"

Jesse gave her a knowing smile before dropping down on the couch. "I thought I'd drop by and see how you were settling in?"

"I'm settled just fine. Thank you Jesse" She said as she busied herself by putting her hair up and out of the way.

Her back was to him but she could see him staring through the mirror. "God, you are so beautiful." He spoke so quietly she wasn't sure if he said it at all. Then he seemed to snap out of his daze. "I don't know about you but I'm hungry." He said getting up and coming behind her. "Let's go for breakfast."

Rachel took a step back to put distance between her and her new boss. They would have to have a discussion about boundaries. There was no reason at all why they shouldn't be able to be professionals about all this.

"I thought we had work to do,"

"Breakfast first and work later," He gave her a charming smile. "Grab you jacket and let's go."

She paused. She wasn't sure if he was serious. After a moment though she simply grabbed her jacket from the closet and headed to towards the door that Jesse was already holding open. She hoped Noah was having a better morning that she was.

* * *

Puck woke up to a quiet house with an aching back and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. He blinked, opening eyes and realized he was on the couch in the living room. Suddenly he remembered falling asleep last night with Rachel on the phone and smiled a little bit.

Now, he's not into cheesy shit but last night felt pretty good. Downstairs with Rachel on the phone and the whole family around just seemed right. If they didn't cuss so much someone would put it in a movie. He took a moment to send a good morning text to Rachel. She needed to know he was thinking about her. He glanced around the room expecting to see his kids on the lounge chair and other couch but the room was empty.

He got up and headed for the kitchen to find his kids. Things were quiet; too quiet. He'd get to the bottom of it. When he entered the kitchen he stopped dead in his tracks. Not only were both of his children dressed and ready for school but they were icing a pan of cinnamon rolls and not arguing.

"What the fuck is going on?" He asked from kitchen entrance.

Caleb and Sarah jumped surprised to see that their father was up. Let's face it, if it were their mom; she's stay in bed till at least mid morning. So far he was doing a lot better than she would have. They looked at each other confused for a moment by Puck's question.

"Nothing…?" Sarah answered cautiously. Puck just gave a pointed look towards the Cinnamon rolls. "Oh, these; well we just decided to make you breakfast."

Caleb nodded in agreement as he walked over and handed his dad a cup of coffee. Puck just stared at the drink in confusion. Something was definitely wrong here. Maybe he was still asleep and this was all just one crazy fucking dream he was having from eating Frosted Flakes in the middle of the night.

"Dad, are you ok?" Caleb asked concerned.

"No," He told him making his way to the table and having a seat. "Who are you guys and where the fuck are my children?" He asked them, seriously where was the yelling at each other and cussing? Why did he not wake up to their fights over the bathroom or a car or something? What were they up to?

"Look," Sarah said as she brought the pan on rolls over to the table and had a seat. "Caleb and I decided that we'd give you a little break this week."

"A break,"

"Yeah, we know it's hard with mom going away and stuff. It's hard on all of us. So we talked it over this morning and decided that we're gonna try to be on our best behavior," She explained. "No fights, no getting into trouble, and no…cussing at dinner."

"Why?" He asks confused. Something didn't add up. Rachel goes away so now they act good; that doesn't make any sense. Does it?

"Because, you already have a lot on your plate without having to worry about us and all the shit we pull. You're a kick ass Jew dad and we want to keep it that way. So we're gonna step up and be kick ass Jew kids." She smiled at him playfully

Puck smiled back. He did have some kick ass Jew kids. He looked down at the coffee that his son had handed him and took a sip just as another thought dawned on him "You mean to tell me this whole time you kids could have _not _been a pain my ass and you just choice not to?"

Caleb laughed from the kitchen counter. "It kept things interesting,"

Sarah glanced and her watched then looked back to her brother. "It's almost time for us go. We don't wanna be late for Dad's first glee."

Puck looked at them confused "I thought glee rehearsals are on Tuesdays and Thursdays?"

"After school rehearsals, yeah" Caleb explained "Glee class is Monday and Wednesday mornings."

"First Period or second Period," He asked

"Second," Caleb replied

"Shit." Puck said glancing the time on his phone. "That means I gotta be there in like-"

"An hour and a half" Sarah supplied.

"We should probably get going and you should probably get ready." Caleb downed the last of his juice as Sarah stood and collected her book bag. Caleb turned back to his dad "Oh I need the keys"

"To what," Puck asked confused. Rachel left the keys sitting on the key hook in the kitchen.

"The truck," He said simply.

Puck stood for a moment and then laughed. "No fucking way."

"But dad you said I got my driving privileges back, full time."

"You do," He told him

"Mom took my car. What am I supposed to drive to school?"

"Take the van."

"What? No," He was shocked, not once during the conversation about his mom taking his car was it mentioned to him that _he_ would get stuck driving the mini-van. "I can't show up driving my mom's van. You know what that would do to my rep?"

"It's better than being dropped off by your dad," Sarah reasoned from the side.

Caleb glared at her. She was not helping and he'd tell her just where she could take her side comments and shove them as soon as they were out side. He turned back to his dad and tried to reason with him. Maybe he could talk his way out of this. "Look taking my car is like…like taking my Batman's bat mobile. With out it how is he gonna prove how badass he is to all the scumbags of Gotham? " He started "Now I agreed to give up my bat mobile but when Batman gives up the bat mobile he gets a cooler upgrade like the bat cycle, the bat chopper or the bat _truck_. You see where I'm going with this?"

"I do," Puck responded. "But I have to tell you son. You're not Batman. There's only one fucker around here that is dark enough to connect with Bruce Wayne's inner demons and badass enough to put on cape and fight crime. And that would be me,"

"Wait," Caleb said distracted. "If you're Batman who am I supposed to be? Superman? I mean I guess that could work."

"No," Puck said crushing his dreams "Your uncle Finn is the man of steel. Come on, Batman and Superman are best friends."

Caleb thought for a moment "So can I be Flash?" He asked

"No. Uncle Mike is Flash" He told him "and before you get any other bright ideas I should already tell you that Uncle Sam is Green Lantern and Uncle Artie is Martian Man-hunter."

"Who," Sarah asked.

"Green alien dude" He told her.

"Wait a minute! So who the fuck am I?" Caleb asked getting upset that all the top spots of the Justice League were taken. "I mean do I even have a role in this shit?"

"Of course you do. You have a very important role" Puck said with a teasing smile "You're Robin,"

"I'm Robin!"

"You're Robin," Sarah said annoyed. "Now can we go, I don't want to be late"

Caleb ignored he "Why am I Robin? Who picked me for Robin?" He asked before something else dawn on him "Wait _which _Robin am I?"

"Does it matter?" Sarah asked

"Yes it matters!" He replied. "Do you know how many Robins there are? One Robin goes crazy, one dies, and another turns evil. The only Robin that held his shit together long enough to become his own hero was the first one and that's cause he became Nightwing. So which one am I?"

"I haven't decided yet," Puck told him "But either way your Robin. And we all know Robin doesn't drive the bat mobile. He drives the mini van." Puck said taking the keys off the hook and handing them to his son.

Caleb rolled his eyes and stormed out. Puck laughed as Sarah came to hug him good bye. Before she walked out the door she paused "Who am I?"

"Bat girl" He told her. As he headed upstairs to get ready for Glee .

* * *

Rachel sat across from Jesse in the expensive restraint wondering if this was how business was usually conducted when it came to putting together a professional show. She was always under the impression that it was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears but so far Jesse spent most of their time spoiling her with expensive meals, talking and catching up.

He noticed she stopped eating her eggs Benedict and frowned. "Something wrong"

Rachel hesitated before responding with the question in the front of her mind. Jesse had been very kind to her from the beginning of this deal. She didn't want to seem ungrateful or even make him mad. She chose to ask a different question instead. "Don't we have a rehearsal to be getting to or a read through?"

Jesse chuckled "Look at you, all work and no play."

"I just thought maybe we should be working on something productive."

"Rehearsal's don't start for another two weeks." He finally told her.

"Oh," Rachel asked confused "but why would you have me here two weeks earlier. I could have taken the extra time to prepare for-"

"Relax Rachel." Jesse stopped her with a gently touch on her hand. "Are you always this stressed? Remind me to have my assistant to send you to the spa this week. I need to unwind my rising star."

Rachel tried to give him a smile. She was growing more and more uncomfortable with this deal.

"I brought you here two weeks earlier than the rest of the cast because I wanted you to start training first. I know you've been out of practice for a while so I figured you'd want a head start. You meet with the dance and Pilate's Instructor tomorrow morning and my personal vocal coach tomorrow evening. Which reminds me we are about to be late." Jesse said taking out his wallet and putting a card into the black folder.

"Late for what,"

"Shopping, I can't have you embarrass yourself when you go meet with the dance instructor now can I?"

"So you're taking me shopping?" Rachel asked and Jesse just nodded. "Jesse this-this is all too much. I mean the suite, the dinners, the spa, the clothes it's all too much. And to me, it doesn't seem to directly correlate with my purpose for being here. So if this is all some plan to try to compete for my affections and win me back I have to stop you now. Before this goes too far, you need to know that I love my husband very much and I have no intentions of committing an infidelity on him."

Jesse just looked at her with a half smile. "Rachel, trust me. I know you love Puck and while I don't under your unusual relationship, I _do_ respect it." He told her before taking her hand. "But you are right about one thing. This is about more than just you playing Maria in the show. This is about giving you a career and in order to do that we have to meet the right people and be at the right places." He said winking at her. "You have to trust me and trust that I know what's better for your career. Okay?"

Rachel thought for a moment before responding. "Okay," she said quietly

"Good, now let's get you a star wardrobe."

* * *

Puck stared back at the students completely clueless. It was a weird being back in this room like this. He remembered being a teenager and sitting in the back of class while barely listening to anything Mr. Shue said. Now he was right in Mr. Shue's shoes (get it) and Karma was a bitch.

The glee kids normally only saw him three or four times out of the year. He usually shows up sometime during the first week of school just to show all the little perverts that yes Mrs. Berry is indeed married to a badass stud and if you ever try to fuck with her he'll rip your head off. It normally worked. After that he only showed up to events they hosted or sometimes chaperoned field trips. But never once did he actually _look_ at the kids in the club.

This was an odd bunch for sure. Nothing like his team where the club members were taken from the very top and very bottom of the high school food chain. His club had to fight for respect and slushie free clothes. But this club walked with a confidence and swag that took even him by surprise. They knew they were good and didn't doubt it for one moment.

So that's why it was taking a while for him to get his shit together. He was prepared to deal with dorky jocks and losers but this. He looked up and saw his son that gave him a thumb up from the back row. Sarah sat the piano and gave him an encouraging nod. He cleared his throat. "Um hey what's up. I'm Mr.-" He stopped. What did they call him? Mr. Puckerman sounded too formal. "Puck, forget the mister and um anyway I'm gonna be taking over Glee for a while so-" Some girl in the first row raised their hand "Uh yeah"

"Excuse me Mr." She pause "Puck." She rolled her eyes "When is Mrs. Puckerman coming back?"

"Um she'll be gone a couple months" He told the girl honestly

Clearly that was a bad thing to say because they all reacted at once.

"What?"

"Oh no,"

"How are we supposed to take nationals -"

"Nationals? How are we supposed to get past sectionals?"

The girl in front raised her hand again. "Yeah," Puck said. Not having any clue what was going on anymore.

"Since we are now under new management does that mean we can re-elect new leadership?" She said glaring towards Caleb.

"Oh shut the fuck up Courtney. I won Captain, get over it." He yelled to her.

"You only won because you're popular and your _mom_ is our instructor." She retorted.

"Yeah well guess what? I'm still popular and that's my dad up there. So you can go suck a dick," He told her flipping her off.

The girl scoffed and turned back to the front glaring at Puck.

"It'll keep you quiet long enough," Sarah said from the piano bench. The whole class laughed. Puck tried to gain some control back.

"Okay nobody is switching positions. Let's just work on the music." He said trying to find the sheet music. "What shit are you guys doing?"

"Come again," Courtney asked with an attitude

"Music, what are you singing and shit. What she got you doing?" Puck asked getting annoyed with this girl

"Rent," Chris supplied to his Uncle Puck. "We're doing seasons of love as group and Caleb and I are splitting the solo in One Song Glory."

Puck looked at the music in horror. "_This_ is what you're working on. This is the crap they're teaching you." The students just looked at him. "This is a bunch of bull shit and we're not doing this." He said ripping the sheet music. They all gasped.

"Are you crazy?" On kid said

"You just ripped our sheet music," Courtney yelled.

"Are you even qualified to teach this class?" A boy in the middle row finally said. They all quieted down at that question "I mean just cause you're married to Mrs. Puckerman doesn't mean you know anything about running a glee club."

"Are you questioning his badassness?" Caleb asked sitting up in his chair. Two things you should know about him. You don't say shit about his mom and you definitely don't say shit about his dad."

"Hey chill out Robin," Puck said to his son before he got himself suspended. He looked back to the kid. "_But are_you questioning my badassness?" The boy only shrugged. He looked back and saw the same doubt in almost all the other kids. "Don't you kids know who I am? I'm an original member of New Directions. Meaning I was in this club before it was cool to be in this club when we had to fight just to keep members. Or win just to keep the club alive. Shit, I took a slushie in the face for being in this club and you're really going to question me?" He asked in disbelief he walked over to the picture of the original crew that hug on the wall. "That's me and my team. And we went through hell for you smart asses to be sitting here arguing with me. So don't tell me I don't know shit about glee club. I made glee club what it is,"

"He's right" Chris showed his support and the rest slowly agreed

"Thank you. Now the songs you guys were singing were gay as hell. You aren't going to win anything with that"

"Yeah," Caleb said looking around to his hesitant team "I mean they went to Regional's one year with a set list dedicated to Journey."

"Didn't they lose that year," Courtney said snidely

"You can shut the fuck up," Caleb said pointing to her

"Look while I'm here we are going to focus on one thing and one thing only." Puck said looking at the seriously "Getting that show choir stick out of your ass and teaching you how to rock and feel the music. Let loose and rock out those are our goals." He told them. He didn't know how he was gonna do it but somehow he was gonna teach this class of whining bitching babies how to rock. He started to walk back to the piano to look for some decent music when one question stopped him in his tracks.

"Can you even sing?" Courtney asked.

Puck turned around slowly with a glare in his eye. Did she really just fucking ask him that question? After everything he just said and she has the nerve to ask that. He was going to have to put her in her place. He looked over at Sarah and gave her the nod. Sarah went and handed him his electric guitar.

Puck cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders back. He didn't want to have to do this but they left him no choice. He'd have to show these bitches what he could do. He was a badass. No way in hell did this high school wannabe just ask him if he could sing. Fuck that shit, he'd handle this. He looked right at her and began to sing.

_I see your dirty face_  
_High behind your collar_

The band joined in with the rest of the music. Caleb and Chris sat in the back of the room smirking at each other. Courtney was about to get a lesson in rock.

_What is done in vain_  
_Truth is hard to swallow_  
_So you pray to God_  
_Justify the way you live a lie, live a lie, live a lie_

Sarah and Caleb joined him in the harmonies.

_And you take your time_  
_And you do your crime_  
_Well you made your bed_  
_I'm in mine_

Puck looked over at the other kids in class. They were trying not to feel the song but they couldn't help it. He had them.

_Because when I arrive_  
_I bring the fire_  
_Make you come alive_  
_I can take you higher_  
_What is this, forgot?_  
_I must now remind you_  
_Let It Rock_  
_Let It Rock_  
_Let It Rock_

Me motioned for Caleb and Chris to come down.

_Now the son's discrashed_  
_He, who knew his father_

The boys started to dance together and the whole class (except Courtney) loved it.

_When he cursed his name_  
_Turned, and chased the dollar_  
_But it broke his heart_  
_So he stuck his middle finger_  
_To the world_  
_To the world_  
_To the world_

Puck got the whole class sticking up their middle fingers and flicking Courtney off. He turned and sang the next lines to her.

_And you take your time_  
_And you stand in line_  
_Well you'll get what's yours_  
_I got mine_

More people in glee started to get up and dance and sing along to the song.

_Because when I arrive_  
_I bring the fire_  
_Make you come alive_  
_I can take you higher_  
_What is this, forgot?_  
_I must now remind you_  
_Let It Rock_  
_Let It Rock_  
_Let It Rock_

Caleb jumped in to add the rap part of the song. He changed the lyrics a bit to fit the occasion.

_Yeah!_  
_Pucks's world_  
_Planet Rock_  
_Panties drop_  
_And the tops_  
_And she gunna rock 'til the camera stop_  
_And I sing about angels like_  
_Angela__ (rock)_

Caleb pointed to a gril in the room. As everyone jumped in a said rock. He continued to point out various people. Only the cool, pretty ones though. 

_And Pamela (rock)_  
_And Samantha (rock)_  
_And Amanda (rock)_  
_And Tamara (rock)_  
_"Ménage à trois_

Chris took over the rap from Caleb with out having to be told. They were best firends and bros and just knew how to handle shit like this.

_Im in here like bitch what's up_  
_Mechanic, me, I can fix you up_  
_I can dick you up_  
_I can dick you down_

He looked over at Sarah when he said the next line hoping his uncle wouldn't catch him.

_Shorty we can go wherever just pick a town_  
_And the jewelry is louder than an engine sound_  
_Big ass rocks like off the ground_  
_Dirty like socks thats on the ground_

Puck took the song back over singing the chours first by him self. He looked around making sure they understood his point. He has arrived. And he did bring the fire. So they just needed to shut the hell up and rock out.

_Because when I arrive_  
_I bring the fire_  
_Make you come alive_  
_I can take you higher_  
_What is this, forgot?_  
_I must now remind you_  
_Let It Rock_  
_Let It Rock_  
_Let It Rock_

He played out the gutiar solo while the rest of the club joined in rocking out.

_Because when I arrive_  
_I bring the fire_  
_Make you come alive_  
_I can take you higher_  
_What is this, forgot?_  
_I must now remind you_  
_Just Let It Rock_  
_Let It Rock_  
_Let It Rock_  
_Let It Rock_  
_Let It Rock_

_Just let it Rock_

Puck sang out the last notes of the song while paying them on the guitar. Everyone clapped and cheered in excitement. Glee club just got a lot more badass. Puck walked over to where Courtney was sulking.

"Get out," He told her.

"What?"

"You don't want me as your instructor then get the fuck out. We don't need you." He told her. Everyone in the room stared in shock (except Caleb who was trying not to laugh) when she carefully gathered her things and left trying not to cry. Puck looked around at the other kids. "Anyone else?" They all stayed put but had earned a respect for Mr. Puck.

"Good now let's teach you bitches kids how to rock," He said as he started to strum his guitar.

* * *

"You made her cry?" Rachel asked in shock

"Almost cry" He corrected while he stretched on his side of the bed and tried to get comfortable by himself. "Plus she deserved it. That chick is a bitch."

"She's one of my more temperamental students," Rachel said as she rolled over in her bed. It was hard sleeping without Noah.

"In other words she's a bitch,"

"Well, you should really stick to my lesson plans. Maybe then it'll cause less of a rebellion."

"We both know that ain't going to happen. I gotta teach these kids how to rock," Puck chuckled at her thought the phone "So what did you do today?"

Rachel paused cautiously. She was dreading this question from the moment they got on the phone. In truth she spent her day shopping for clothes for all types of occasions and then had a trip to the salon. Jesse had insisted that this was all very crucial to her image and it was important to send out a good image even when meeting instructors. She understood the need and logic behind his words and was thankful for it but she doubted Noah would feel the same.

She really didn't want to cause a fight with them being so far away from each other so she did something she'd never done to him before. She lied. "It was great sweetie. I worked with the director and met a couple of cast members. We didn't delve too deep into the script today but it was still very rewarding." She said trying to swallow down her guilt.

* * *

**So there goes chapter 6. Puck is such a badass. The song is Let it Rock by ****Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil Wayne. If you haven't heard it go listen to it right now because it's an amazing song.**

******I have good news and bad news. Good news is we will be finding out more about the person behind the text in the next chapter. The bad news is next chapter may not be posted till Tuesday or Wednesday. I'm moving this weekend so I won't get a chance to work on it or post. I'm sorry. Once I'm settled into my new apartment I will be back to updating more regularly. **

******Hope everyone has a great weekend. Please don't forget to review!**

******Thanks.**


	7. Disturbance in the Force

**Hey guys! Did everyone enjoy their V-Day? I'm so sorry it's taken me forever to update. I moved and it took a while for the Internet to get up and running. But that's over and I'm back for good.**

**I can't promise I'll update everyday but I will be trying to update two or three times a week. Shout out to my beta Red Satin Black Silk for her mad skills. Thanks so much for the encouraging reviews and PMs. **

**This is the famous chapter where we learn a little more about our secret texter. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"Penis,"

"Vagina,"

"Testicles"

"Uterus,"

"Genital warts,"

"Vaginal discharge,"

"What are they doing again?" Santana asked, watching the Puckleberry offspring exchange words at the kitchen table.

She and Finn had come down Sunday morning to check in on the Puckerman family. They knew it was a little rough for them without Rachel and they wanted to offer their support.

"Playing gross out," Puck explained to her.

"I love that game," Finn said "I call winner,"

"Sweaty, hairy arm pits,"

"Smelly, puss-filled wound,"

"What exactly are the rules of this game?" Santana turned to her husband and Puck. She was starting to feel nauseous.

"Basically, you say whatever it takes to gross the other person out." Puck said simply.

"The first person to say gross or eww loses." Finn explained further.

"Rotting, maggot-filled flesh"

"Eating toe jam mixed with belly button lint."

That did it for Santana; she ran out of the room to throw up in the bathroom. Puck looked over at Finn with a question in his eyes. As far as he knew Santana wasn't that squeamish when it came to this stuff.

Finn just rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not really supposed to say anything but we think she's pregnant again."Puck nodded understanding.

Finn and Santana had been trying for the past couple of years to have child but in the end, she always miscarried. It sad; Puck felt horrible for his friends' luck especially when Finn and Santana blamed themselves. Either way, anytime they even thought she was pregnant they would try to avoid any attention or excitement to avoid any future pain.

"I hope it works out this time man," Puck told him sincerely.

"I do too." He said looking back at the table where Caleb and Sarah were still engrossed in their game.

Puck knew they envied him and Rachel. Hell, if the situation was in reversed, he would envy him too. Santana walked back inside of the kitchen. She looked a little pale but much better than she did before she left. She was glaring at her husband though.

"What part of 'not telling anyone yet' is so hard to follow?" She said to him with her arms crossed.

"I'm sorry San but its Puck. I thought it would be safe to tell him." He cupped both of his hands around her face and pecked her lips until she smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Did you at least tell him everything?" Finn shook his head and she turned to Puck.

"Three Months, we haven't been this far along before." She told him trying not to smile.

Puck let a grin spread across his face as he moves forward and gives her a big hug. "Congrats Mama,"

Santana rolled her eyes and tried not to get emotional. "Yeah, well someone has to pay you back for the pure evil that you and Rachel released into the world." She indicated to the two teens still calling out disgusting word to each other.

He knew she was playing. She adored their kids and often baby-sat for them when they were younger. Finn and Santana had been a big part of their family for years now.

"Well, you and jolly green giant over here are the only ones that might actually make devil spawn worst than mine." He said back playfully and they all laughed.

"So, how you holding up without Rachel," Finn asked creating an awkward silence and pointing out the big elephant in the room; Rachel's absence. Santana was kind enough not to mention it but Finn never really was good with social cues.

"I'm doing good, the kids have been helping out and just gotta get used to all this extra work." He said taking a sip of his coke.

"I still can't believe you made that girl cry." Santana said

"Almost cry," He corrects her. "And she deserved it. She was being a bitch."

"She's in high school!" Santana said. "Every girl is a bitch in high school. It's like a rite of passage or something,"

"So why are you still doing it?" Puck said and Santana smacked him arm.

"To keep you two ass holes in line," She told him.

"Whatever, she's not kicked out of the club. She came in the next day, cussed me out for making her leave and demanding to be let back in."

Finn just laughed. "Sounds kinda like Rachel,"

"Yeah, if you mean an evil mutant version of Rachel with Santana's mouth and Quinn's attitude then yes she does."

"I'd hang out with her if I was her age," Santana said simply.

"No you wouldn't," Caleb and Sarah pausing from their game.

"Mom's beet and radish stew,"

"Mom's homemade applesauce,"

"Wow, they're still going." Finn said amazed.

"How much longer is this gonna last?" She asked.

"Might be a while; last game lasted two and half hours but Skid mark finally pulled a win with 'anal leakage'. This time Booger is prepared and she's not going down without a fight." He explained.

"Boiling butt rash,"

"Gonorrhea in the eye,"

Santana scoffed. "Is there any way to speed this process along? We actually have work to do."

"Oh sure, why didn't you say so?" Puck simply walked up to the table and cut off Sarah before she could respond to Caleb's last words. "You mom and I had sex on this table."

They both jumped back in disgust.

"Ew,"

"Gross"

"I win," Puck said before walking back to Santana and a laughing Finn. "He's all yours"

Santana looked at Caleb who was still looked disgusted with Pucks words. "Okay skid mark, grab your Spanish book and old test. The way your mother tells it we have a lot of work to do." Caleb sighs and heads for the exit.

"And if I hear about you trying to get another blow job tutor instead of a real one I will personally come down to that school pull that slut off your dick and kick your ass." She scolds him with a smack in the back of the head and they both leave.

"Always the charmer," Puck said.

"Alright, well I'm going to go and try to erase the fact that my parents had sex where I eat my breakfast." She said heading for the stairs. "From now on, I'm taking all my meals in my room." She called down.

"Guess I shouldn't tell her we did it there too huh?" Puck said to Finn playfully.

"Ew," Sarah screamed from the stairs and ran the rest of the way up to her room.

"I was kidding!" He yelled back.

"Were you really kidding?" Finn asked

"Do you really want to know?"

"Not really,"

"Didn't think so,"

Just then Pucks cell phone went off with a text message. Puck opened it and sighed. He really didn't want to think about this shit right now.

_Do you want to meet tonight? It's been a while._

"Is everything okay?" Finn asked noticing the change in Puck's mood.

"Um, yeah just some shit with work." He said smoothly while typing out a response.

_Not tonight. A friend is in from out of town. _

"They text you on the weekends," Finn asked curious

"Um..yeah,"

His phone beeped again with another message. Shit if she wasn't more careful someone was going to catch them and that was something that he definitely didn't need on top of everything else going on.

_Tomorrow night?_

They had to stop it. They couldn't keep meeting the way they were. If anyone found out, it was just going to blow in their face; his more than hers. There was just too much shit going on in his life and he couldn't do this anymore. He typed out a quick response and put his phone in his pocket.

_Same time. Same place_

When he looked up he noticed Finn was looking at him suspiciously.

"What's going on Puck?" He asked him

Shit! He did not want to do this. How much did he see? Whatever, it doesn't matter what he saw cause he can't prove anything. When all else fails; deny, deny, and deny.

"What are you talking about," He asked smoothly

Finn just gave him a look. "I've been your best friend for years, man, and I know when you doing something you're not supposed to"

"I'm always doing something I'm not supposed to," Puck just chuckled, trying to laugh the situation off but Finn didn't laugh.

"Don't hurt Rachel man." He told him seriously "Don't hurt your family. I don't know what's going on or who you're sneaking around with but I'm pretty sure they aren't worth hurting the people that love you,"

This is what pissed him off about Finn Hudson. The guy couldn't understand stuff like how to work a dishwasher or the movie _Inception_ but with shit like this, he's fucking Sherlock Holmes and has it all figured out. Stupid simple-minded Finn Hudson.

"Look man it's not," Puck paused trying to figure out how to explain but words were failing him. "There just this…"

"Save it," Finn said walking out of the kitchen.

* * *

"Well I just don't understand why you two are fighting?" Rachel said to him over the phone.

It was nine and he had decided to go to bed early after Finn and Santana left in a hurry. Now was his time to chill out, get the only moment of peace he felt like he had left talking to Rachel.

"We're not fighting," Puck responded smoothly.

He didn't wanna spend the night talking about the misunderstanding with Finn. He had better things to do and talk about. Hopefully, if he was lucky he'd get a little phone sex. It wasn't as good as the real thing but at this point he'll take whatever he could get.

"That's not what it sounded like. The way Santana said it, it sounded like you two had fight and he's really mad at you. He barely said two words to her on the ride back and he refuses to talk about it. Noah, what did you do?" She asked him.

"I didn't do anything. We're not fighting. We're just not seeing eye to eye on something,"

"I don't believe you," Rachel scoffed "You and Finn either got in a fight or you did something to make him mad."

"Why do you always assume _I_ did something," He said starting to feel defensive.

"Because you _always_ do something Noah, you need to learn how to treat your friends better."

"I know how to treat my friends," He snapped.

What the hell was going on? Why was she getting on him like he's the tool? Him and Finn aren't even fighting. They just have some shit to sort out.

It was quiet for a moment and he felt bad for snapping. Maybe he should just tell her. He didn't want to do it with her in Chicago so far away but wouldn't it be worst if she found out from someone other than him. He never pictured having this conversation on the phone but then again he never pictured being in this fucked up situation.

"Look Rach. I'm sorry for snapping," He started "It's just there's a lot of shit going on and there's kinda something-" He was cut off by another voice in the background of her phone.

"Hey, beautiful you ready to go?" Jesse said and Puck was frozen for a second in shock,

"Who the fuck is that?" he said already knowing the answer.

"It's just Jesse." Rachel said uncomfortably

"What the fuck is he doing in your room at nine o' clock at night?" Puck said trying to control his tempter.

"Noah, it's nothing inappropriate and I think you should calm down."

"Calm down? You have some other guy in your room at night and you want me to calm down?"

"He's only here to pick me up for a Theater Alumni Charity Benefit we've been invited to," Rachel said calmly.

He was pissed. He didn't know why but he was and that is probably the only way to explain what he said to her next.

"Well, at least you're making him buy you dinner first."

"Thank you, Noah, for making me sound like a cheap slut." She whispered.

They were both quiet for a moment. They were both very angry and both trying to decide which was worse; their anger or how they felt about fighting under the circumstance. Puck sighed.

"I'm sorry." He said to her. It felt like he was always apologizing these days. "I'm…an asshole"

"Yes you are," She said back deciding she was still angry at his words.

"Well, Rachel what do you expect me to think. I know how the guy feels about you and hell I see the way he looks at you. And now he's in your room in the middle of the night?"

"It's not the middle of the night Noah it's nine o'clock. And I expect you to trust me and trust our relationship regardless of any advances you may have perceived."

Today was not his day. He couldn't seem to get anything right; first his issues with Finn and now a fight with Rachel. He didn't know what to do anymore and worst of all, phone sex was definitely out of the question.

"I _do_trust you. It just hasn't been the best day for me and I guess I was taking it out on you. I'm sorry." He assured her. She was still silent which ment she didn't fully forgive him yet. "So, what type of dinner you going to again? I kinda missed it cause I was being an ass,"

Rachel sighed "It's a Theater Alumni Charity Benefit dinner with a lot of producers and directors to meet. Jesse says it'll be good to start to create an interest for the show. It'll also help to get my name and face out there. "

"I bet it will babe," Puck said biting back all the negative comments he wanted to make about St. Douche and trying to sound supportive.

Rachel heard the effort in his voice. "It's not like I want to go. I'd rather be in my room on the phone with you till two in the morning than parading around socializing into the late hours of the night. I swear I feel like that's all I've been doing."

Something caught Pucks ear. "You're gonna be out till two in the morning? Isn't that a little late?"

"No most of these parties last that long,"

How does she know that shit? Never mind, he was gonna keep him cool and not start anymore shit. Fighting was so much harder when they couldn't have sex afterwards to make up.

"Oh. I guess I was just thinking it would make it harder to get up for rehearsals on Monday,"

Rachel heard the hesitation in his voice and she grew a little uncomfortable. As far as Noah knew rehearsals were in full swing for the show. She didn't want to tell him that this whole time she had been pampered with gifts and meeting dozens of people that make or break her career.

"Um… We don't have Monday rehearsals," She lied

Puck hesitated as he heard the lie in her voice this time. "But you had rehearsals last Monday…" He pointed out to her.

She was trapped in her lie and was starting to panicked. "Oh…that was…we just…"

"You know what never mind," Puck said quickly. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to fight or think about him and Rachel lying to each other and keeping secrets.

"Noah….I,"

"It's ok. I gotta go anyway." He said trying to get off the phone as fast as he can. Maybe if he hung up now he could pretend like this whole conversation didn't happen.

"But Noah,"

"No really. I think I hear the kids trying to burn down the house or something so I better go stop them." He told her. "Have fun at your party."

"Noah," Rachel tried to say but he was gone. She tried to shake off the bad feeling the fight gave her. They didn't resolve anything. And this was the first time, in a long time, that they've had and fight and both walked away angry.

She took a few moments to stare at her phone in disbelief and didn't notice when Jesse approached her.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked, startling her with the sound of his voice.

"I'm fine," Rachel said trying to sound convincing but even she heard her voice shake.

"No, you're not," Jesse said having a seat next to her on the bed. "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop but from what I heard things must-"

Rachel cut him off before he could find the words to finish his sentence. She could only imagine what he was thinking after hearing her side of the conversation. "It's nothing; it was just a little martial spat."

She got up to walk away from Jesse and whole conversation. As far as she was concerned he was the last person she needed to be talking to about her problems with Noah. Jesse reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could walk away.

"He called you a slut," She was silent for a moment as Jesse's words washed over her.

Of course thinking about it logically he hadn't actually call her a slut but it had been implied. The logical part of her brain was slowly being overshadowed by her frail insecurities what were hurt by the comment.

"Rachel?" Jesse said while pulling her back down to the bed to sit next to him. "Talk to me. I mean we're friends right?"

Rachel stared at him suspiciously for a moment. Were they friends? She certainly had spent a lot of time with him over the past week and would probably be spending more in the weeks to come. But friends?

Even if they were friends. Is it right to talk about her problems with Noah to him. He hadn't made any advances on her since the brunch when she first arrived. In fact he was very supportive with all the new training especially when she was frustrated. Maybe it would be fine to talk to him and get an unbias perspective from someone outside of the situation. She took a deep sigh and tried to decide where to start.

"He didn't actually call me a slut. It was more implied based of the information he had. It's just," She paused. "This whole separation has been difficult for both of us. Noah and I are more accustom to reading each other that things get lost in translation while on the phone and-" Rachel cut herself off from her long explanation and cut right to the point of why she felt so horrible. "I lied to him"

Jesse nodded thoughtfully "About what?"

"Rehearsals," She said simply and he was confused. "I told him that we have been in the middle of rehearsals for the last two weeks instead of telling him that we have been doing prep work for the workshop."

"Why,"

"I think you know why," She said quietly not meeting his eyes.

Jesse sighed. "I guess he doesn't like me very much, does he?"

"Noah is just… No, he doesn't but I think it has more to do with your former self. While I understand your reasoning's and can look at things rationally Noah lacks that trait,"

"Rachel, you don't have to dance around the issue." He told her honestly "He thinks I'm going to try something with you and he's afraid you'll cheat on him. It's a natural reaction and I might feel the same if I was him." He turned to grab her hand and look her in the eye. "But I'm not him. I'm me and I gave you my word that I would respect you and respect your marriage. I think you have to remember that while you and I know how things in this business move others don't have a clue." Rachel gave him a confused look. "Let me give you an example. What does Puck think about you're singing?"

"He thinks I'm good," She responded automatically.

"And he's right you are _good _but you have to be _great_ to make it in this world. I'm pushing you be great and I doubt he'll understand what it takes to be great."

Rachel stared for a moment trying to grasp his meaning. "So you're saying it was okay to lie to him?"

"I'm saying that you shouldn't feel bad for protecting him from the realities of the professional theater world," He said placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And you shouldn't beat yourself up about things back home which you have no control over. You can't be expected to protect your family from the harsh realities of this world and theirs," Jesse sighed in frustration. "Can I be perfectly honest?" He asked her.

Rachel thought for a moment. She wasn't sure if she wanted his honesty but everything he had said was extremely logical. She really was only protecting Noah. He had been the one to push her to do this. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know how much work it was but she did. She knew that this was a different world where a talent star was only as great as her ability to socialize.

She had met with so many directors, choreographers, trainers, and producers in the last week. She not only had to flash her smile constantly but she had to be charming. Noah wouldn't understand the importance of such meetings but Jesse did. Jesse had been in this world and knows how to operate in it. If she was really serious about it she needed to follow his lead and listen to his advice. So really she needed his honesty. She gave him a nod to continue.

"You don't need to get your emotions so tied up in your family right now. You should focus more on your career."

Rachel gave him a small sad smile. "I don't know if I can just completely forget about my family."

Jesse cupped his hand on her cheek and looked her in the eyes. "You're not forgetting about them. You're doing exactly what they wanted you to do and when this is all over they'll thank you for it. Not only for the wonderful career that you'll have but the new experiences you can bring to their life." He caressed her face endearingly. "But focusing on you is what it's gonna takes to make it to the top, beautiful. And I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't think you could do it."

Rachel nodded her head and allowed it all to seep in. She had to acknowledge that Jesse was right and it was time to completely submerge herself in this. She needed to let Noah handle the things at home, he had said he could handle it and after all isn't this what Noah wanted her to do the whole time. She thought back to his words when they first decided to take this deal.

_It's time for you to go after yours_

That's what he wanted for her and while he may have been naive to the effort involved in making the dream a reality, he _did_ want her to succeed. With that truth ingrained in her, she would do whatever it took to make that happen.

Jesse rose from the bed and offered her his hand. She took it gratefully and stood. "Now Ms. Berry I believe that we have a Benefit to go to. We don't want to be late, now do we?" Said giving her a wink.

She tried not to wince when he called her 'Ms. Berry'. It felt so lonely and cold. Almost like a shell of the person she used to be but those thoughts weren't very helpful right now. She'd have to get used to hearing her name again. It was time for her to be Rachel Berry again, she thought as they made their way out of the bed room and into the main room of the suit.

She glanced at herself in the mirror to make sure her hair wasn't messy and that her makeup was perfect. She gave herself a small smile of encouragement. This was a role she would have to play for the next few months and she knew she could do it.

Jesse came up behind her and pulled the expensive shawl over her shoulders.

"Ready to go," He asked in her ear.

Rachel nodded pushing all thoughts of Noah and their fight out of her head. She couldn't think about that right now. Right now she had to be the charming young ingénue that everyone adored. She put on her best show smile and left the room with Jesse. It was show time.

* * *

It was Monday night and Sarah sat waiting in the middle of the large theater with her extra large popcorn. He would show up, she knew it. It took a lot of convincing to get Caleb to drop her off. It was times like this that made her wish she had more friends. While people knew who she was and not to mess with her she was no where near as popular as her brother.

It didn't bother her too much. She didn't care about that stuff and most girls only wanted to be her friend because of Caleb. So after a horrible freshman year with back stabbing, deceiving girls she resolved that she was more of a loner. She didn't mind. It just meant that the friends that she did have she cherished more, like Chris.

He was always there to talk to and most of the time he understood. They started off doing Latin together and after a while she saw him in a different light. He was funny, cute, and she couldn't help but fall head over heals for him. But she could never act on those feelings.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt someone sit down next to her. She turned to him with a smile. "I was afraid you weren't going to show."

"And leave a pretty gal like you to watch this movie all alone? Na, that's not my style," He said to her while taking a handful of popcorn. "So…is this like a date or…something else?"

"I don't know. " She replied. They rarely got a chance to actually talk about their feelings or even evaluate their complicated relationship. He was her brother's best friend. He was older than her. And if her dad ever found out he would kill him. "I guess it's not an official date so I'd venture to say this is something else," Chris just nodded "Is that 'something else' okay?" She asked hesitantly.

He turned and smiled at her "Something else is great," He said before popping more pop corn in his mouth.

After that the previews and movie came on. If she were being perfectly honest she couldn't tell you what the movie was actually about because she spent the whole two hours distracted by the presences of the boy next to her. Half way through the movie she got up the courage to make her move. She reached across and held his hand. He didn't fight her.

When the credits finally rolled she looked over and tried not to smile too hard. She may not have paid attention to the movie but that was honestly the best seven dollars she's spent in a while. Chris held her hand as they walked out of the theater and headed outside.

She was a little nervous about having him drop her off back home but she figured it should be pretty safe considering her dad was out at some meeting tonight and wouldn't be home till late. And Caleb kinda already knew what was going on any way.

They were heading to the parking lot when all of a sudden Chris ducked and pulled her behind a wall. "Shit!" He said

"What?" Sarah asked confused.

"I just saw your dad,"

"What?" Sarah asked confused trying to break away from him so she could take a look. "There's no way my dad is here. He's at some sort of meeting for his job," She said about to walk from behind the wall.

"Well this meeting must be at the theater cause I just saw uncle Puck heading to the parking lot." Chris said pulling her back.

Sarah broke away and moved behind the wall to get a look for herself. She was about to make a comment to Chris about getting his eyes checked when she was brought up short by the sight of her dad. Not just her dad but her dad walking and laughing with a leggy blond. "Oh, my gosh that is my dad. What the hell is he doing here?"

"I don't know but I suggest we don't find out," Chris said trying to take her hand and pull her in the opposite direction but Sarah would have none of that.

"No, we have to find out," She said and she started to follow her dad and the blond out the parking lot. What was he doing? Why was he here? And most importantly who the hell was this bimbo he had with him? He was supposed to be at a meeting. But this woman didn't look like she'd know what a football was if it hit her on the head.

Chris caught up to her and grabbed her hand to make sure he wouldn't lose her in the crowded movie theater. They zigzagged their way through the people until they were out in the parking lot. There Sarah ducked down behind a bush and pulled Chris with her so she could spy on her dad.

She saw him walk over to a car that probably belonged to the woman. Red convertible; it was a typical car for the typical Barbie. The woman reached up and gave her dad and big hug and held on tight. Way too tight to be considered appropriate for a business associate. When she pulled away she gave him a big smile and a kiss on the cheek. His face softened and her smile grew wider. He's flirting with her. Why is he flirting with her? The woman made one more comment before hopping in the car and pulling out of the parking lot. Her dad stood long enough to watch her go before he headed over to the truck and got in.

Sarah turned her head not wanting to see anymore. She was well aware of Chris staring at her but for a moment she couldn't seem to care. She was trying to get the image of the blond kissing her dad out of her head.

"I'm sure there is a good explanation for it," Chris said sympathetically to her.

"Oh course there is," She said back with out looking at him. What a way to ruin a date or whatever it was they were on. "Will you take me home please?" She asked him quietly. There was only one person she needed to talk to right now and it was her partner in crime.

* * *

Caleb was the man. Not only did he manage to get both his sister and his father out of the house for the night but he managed to get the Co-Captain of the cheerios up to his room onto his bed. And the way she was moaning into his mouth as he kissed her, things were only going to get better from here.

He started to trail wet kisses down her neck while he managed to unhook her bra though her shirt (with his mad skills). He was brushing his hands on her thighs and about to make his way under her skirt when his pain-in-the-ass, annoying, little sister burst through his door.

"We have a problem," Sarah said breathlessly

The Cheerio jumped and hastily pulled her skirt down. He glared at his sister for her horrible timing. "Yeah, we do have a problem like boundaries, knocking and other shit."

Sarah seemed confused for a moment before she noticed the girl on his bed. She rolled her eyes at him. She just caught their dad in a compromising situation and all he could think about was going to second base with some slut.

"No, Caleb we really have a problem." She told him seriously before looking over at the girl trying to think of a nice way to say it. "You need to get the fuck out,"

The girl scoffed offended and moved to re-hook her bra when Caleb stopped her. "Whoa, wait, she's not going anywhere. This is _my_ room and we were in the middle of….something. So _you_ need to get the fuck out." He told his sister.

"I'm not going anywhere," She told him while planting herself on his desk chair.

"And why the fuck not?" he asked getting really annoyed with her.

"Because we have an emergency; a disturbance in the fucking force! What else do I have to say? We're fucked and I need your help!" She told him

He still didn't completely buy it. Sarah saw the hesitation in her brother's eyes and stopped any doubt with one word "Pact."

Caleb looked and her and noticed she did look a little shaken up. She'd never pull this shit if it wasn't important. "Shit!" He said loudly He sighed and hated himself for what he was about to do. "You should probably go," He told the cheerio

She looked at him shocked for a moment before scoffing, grabbing her jacket, and leaving the room in a huff. It was only when they heard the down stairs door slam did they start to speak.

"What's the big emergency?" He asked her

"Dad's cheating on mom,"

* * *

**Dun DUN DUN! Sorry I couldn't help it. **

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I think the next one will be up Thursday or Friday. In the mean time I wrote a cute little V-Day song fic called _If It Kills Me _that you can check out. **

**Please review and let me know what you think about the story, about the characters, about the chapter. Basically about anything. I love to read your feedback cause it helps me grow as a writer. Also I really wanna know if you think Puck is cheating or not. And what about that advice Jesse gave Rachel?**

**Thanks Again! REVIEW!**


	8. No Good Could Come of This

**I got to 100 Alert! WOO HOO. I just felt the need to share that when I got the notice that I reached 100 story alerts I jumped up and down my room and rocked out to Fall Out Boy's _Dance Dance_. I didn't even care that it was one in the morning and I knocked over a bunch of books that were sitting on my desk. **

**Okay I'm going to stop saying days for me to post next because every time I do something always happens so I can't post on the day that I said. **

**But I think I make up for it this time. This chapter is long. I mean like super long. It's about as long as two chapters rolled into one. My beta wanted to punch me in the face when she saw how long it was. (Okay not so much punch me in the face but she was kinda taken back at the length.)**

**Anywho, here it is. **

* * *

Caleb stared at his sister in disbelief. "That's fucking crazy," He told her after she explained to him what she saw at the theater.

"I know. I couldn't believe it either," She told him quietly

"No I mean you; you're fucking crazy," Caleb explain to his sister

"What?"

"You honestly believe dad is cheating on mom?" He asked her. She looked at him with wide eyes and nodded her. "No way, he would never do that her."

"But I saw him!" She explained. How did he not believe her? He was her brother it was his job to have her back.

"No, you saw him out with another woman. You didn't actually see him having sex with said woman."

"She kissed him!"

"Yes, _she_ kissed _him_ on the _cheek_! If dad was fucking her he'd get a lot more that some lame cheek action." Caleb responded to her.

He was a bit fed up with his sister. He knew that their dad had done a lot of fucking up in his day but he'd never hurt his mom like that. Never. He looked back at sister and shook his head "How could you even say some shit like that about dad?"

Sarah was beyond frustrated. She wasn't sure if she fully believed it herself but all the evidence pointed to it. What else could it be? It would be better for her to look at this rationally than have to watch as her whole family fell apart when the truth came to the surface. Couldn't Caleb see that his was hurting her just as much as it was hurting him?

"What else could it be?" She finally answered his question with one of her own. "Why else would he fucking lie to us about a business meeting if he was off at the movies with some blonde?"

"Maybe he really was at a meeting? Maybe she's a new co-worker? Maybe a new recruits' mom? Maybe she's a friend?"

"Trust me from what I saw there was more than friendship between them." She muttered before going into her argument. "If it was a meeting why is it held this late at night and at a movie theater?" She waited for an answer but didn't receive one. "If it was a co-worker why is she hugging and kissing all over him?" She was once again met with silence. "If he was buttering up a recruits mom why didn't he just bring her home for dinner with the family like he usually does?"

"I don't know!" Caleb finally blurted out. "I don't know why the fuck he was out with her or even who the fuck she is. But I _do _know that he's not cheating."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because he's our dad; you may have lost your mind and forgotten but I haven't. I know that man. He wouldn't do that shit to mom or us."

Sarah looked at her brother and saw the conviction in his eyes. A part of her really wanted to believe him and drop the whole thing but she just knew that something else was going on.

"I'm sorry. I'm not convinced." She said shaking her head. Caleb sighed in frustration. "That's not a compelling argument in his defense. He's hiding something"

"Well you don't have enough fucking evidence for his prosecution. As far as I'm concerned he's innocent until proven guilty."

They stared at each other and knew they were at an impasse. Neither one believed the other's case. Usually they could find a way to compromise when it was important but not on this. It was almost like they were splitting their team up and neither one liked the feeling the other not having their back. But Sarah was too clever and Caleb was too trusting. They were stuck in a steal deadlock.

Sarah was the first to break the tension. "Fine then we'll get some." Caleb gave her a confused look. "You said there's not enough evidence for an official verdict so we'll find some evidence and figure out what's really going on with him and this woman."

It took a moment for Caleb to grasp what she was saying and then a few more for it to sink in. But when it did he only had one answer for her. "No fucking way."

"Why not?" She was really getting upset with him now. Not only did he not believe her but now he didn't even want to go and find proof. "Give me one good reason why."

"Because we told dad we weren't gonna do this shit while mom is gone. We're not coming up with some half-assed plan and make things harder than they already are."

"We told him that before his ability to be fucking _faithful_was in question. Now we practically have to." She thought for a moment. "And when have you ever known me to come up with a half-assed plan?"

Caleb ignored her last comment. "No. We're not doing this. We're gonna leave shit alone until mom gets done in Chicago and we're a family again."

"That's _if_ there's a family for her to come home to!" She spat before stopping herself. She took a moment to regain her cool and try to talk sense into her brother. "I need you to help me figure this out. If not to prove that dad is guilty than to at least prove his innocence. You're right maybe this is one big misunderstanding and maybe it's really nothing. But until we find out for sure I'm gonna wonder. And that uncertainty is gonna fucking kill me." She took a deep breath before doing something she rarely did. She was gonna nicely ask her brother for this favor. "So please, will you help me figure out what the fuck is going with him so we can drop this and go back to our shitty semi-normal existence?"

Caleb sighed in defeat. Sometimes having a little sister to look over and protect and shit was a pain in the ass. He knew they had to figure this out and prove his dad wasn't cheating. "Fine, we'll get the shit to prove to you that dad isn't cheating. But then we go right back to being good little Jew kids okay?" He said extending his hand.

"Deal," She took his hand and they shook. She pulled away with a renewed energy ready to launch right into their plans. "Let's get started then. You work on stealing his phone and I'll try to hack the laptop. Hopefully he-"

Caleb pulled back. "Whoa, what are you fucking crazy?"

"What?"

"We can't do that shit."

"Why not,"

"Because it's a big invasion of privacy and its fucking suicide if we get caught."

She stared at him in disbelief "He could be potentially cheating and you're worried about his personal privacy?"

"He's not cheating and yes I am."

"This is stupid! How else are we supposed to gather evidence?" She said exasperated

He shook his head stubbornly "We're not doing it. It's wrong"

"You said you'd help" She told him

"And I will as soon as you have a better plan," He said

Sarah rolled her eyes and scoffed at him. "And how do you propose we do this with out breaching his privacy?"

"Hey it was your bright idea to get dirt on him. So it's your job to figure out a plan," He said simply before another thought occurred to him. "Just don't make it anything illegal."

"You and I both know that I can't guarantee that."

"True," He said thinking for a moment "How about nothing that's a Federal offence?"

She rolled her eyes "Deal,"

"Good." He said as he stood up and opened his door. "Now get the fuck out,"

Sarah got up from the desk chair and did something he didn't expect. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug. Caleb was shocked at first but eventually hugged her back.

As she held on tightly to her brother she tried not to cry at the potential downfall of her family. If this turned out to be real, meaning if her dad was actually cheating, she wasn't sure if they'd be able to recover. And what scared her the most was Caleb's complete confidence in their dad. If that was broken what would it do to her brother?

They might bitch and scream at each other but underneath all of that was a bond that no one could break. With or with out the pact they had each other's back. And with no mom and a questionable dad, he was all she had.

"Are you turning into a girl on me?" Caleb asked playfully

Sarah pulled back and glared at him. "Shut up asshole,"

He laughed before placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. "I know you probably won't believe me cause your stubborn as fuck but this shit is all gonna work out." He paused when she rolled her eyes "I mean it. As one dude to another, I know he's not cheating. And even if he is hiding something else from us…well I'm sure he has a good reason. We just have to trust him,"

Sarah paused wanting to believe his words and praying for her family's sake that they were true. "Now who's turning into the girl?" She asked as she walked out his room back to hers.

* * *

It was the constant playing of Sweet Caroline that woke him up. He reached over and grabbed his phone with out bothering to open his eyes.

"Hello?" He mumbled sleepily in the phone.

"You're ignoring me," Rachel said to him immediately.

"No I'm not," He mumbled back.

"Yes, you are. I tried to call you five times and you wouldn't answer you phone."

"First two times you called me was during work. Third time I was at Glee. Fourth, I was in the shower and the last time you called me….well trust me when I say my hands were busy."

Rachel scoffed at him "And you didn't call me back because?"

"Well babe you know how tired I get afterwards-"

"Noah."

"Fine I just…I didn't know what you were doing and I didn't wanna mess with your shit,"

"In other words you didn't want to call and deal with the uncomfortable aftermath of our last conversation."

"Whatever," Puck mumbled trying to wake himself up a little more. He glanced over at the clock and saw it was just after three. "Shit Rach it's three in the morning. What are you still doing up?"

"Well I've been having trouble falling asleep without you." She said quietly. She was embarrassed to admit that she needed him so much.

"I know babe. It's been hard for me too." He reassured her.

"I also figured if I called you while your defenses were down you would no longer be able to ignore me."

"Well congratulations you're a genius," He said to her with a chuckle. They were both quiet and listened to the other breathing on the phone. Neither one of them knew what to say to the other and neither one of them wanted to start a fight.

"I miss you," Rachel finally blurted out and without any thought she continued to tell him everything that was on her mind. "I try to be strong and convince myself that it doesn't affect me so much during the day but here at night when I'm alone in my room I can't really escape from the underlining fact that I miss you. I just-" She paused taking a deep breath. "I feel like two different people and that everyone wants something different from me. It's exhausting to try to meet all these expectations."

Puck was silent for a while not really sure what to say. "Okay…"

Rachel sighed "I guess what I'm really trying to say is that…I'm trying to put on a brave face for you, the kids and everyone here but deep down…Noah I'm scared and I don't have a clue what I'm doing. I feel like I'm a gold fish in this great big ocean and all I really want right now is to be in your arms where I know that I'm safe and have you tell me that everything is going to be okay." She put her hands over her mouth to prevent him from hearing the sounds of her crying. Here in the middle of the night alone in her room she was forced to face all her raw feelings and emotions.

Puck knew she was crying. He heard it in her voice. "Babe…" He said quietly. "Everything is going to be okay"

He said the words so confident and so sure of himself that Rachel didn't doubt that he meant them. But instead of filling her with comfort as he meant them to, they filled her with a sinking dread.

Jesse was right. Noah was practically blind to the reality of the struggles in the theater world. He doesn't even know the full extent of her workload and he is already assuring that things will end in good terms. He was naive and as much as it hurt her to admit, she couldn't talk to him. He just wouldn't understand.

As the realization washed over her, Rachel finally decided to give into the tears she's been holding back for a week. For the first time in a long time she felt really and truly alone.

Puck heard her sob louder into the phone and started to get worried. He sat up in the bed. She must be really having a hard time if she was sobbing on the phone to him like this. "Babe," He asked quietly as she kept crying. "Rachel?" She was still crying. "Rach, come on. What's wrong?"

Rachel had been dreading this question. How could she explain to him, the man that she loved more than anything, that he just couldn't understand? There was no point in talking to him about her problems because he would never understand. The answer is to not explain. She would protect him not only from this world but from herself as well.

She tried to control her tears "Nothing, I just….really miss you." She said while she calmed herself down.

Puck could hear it in her voice. She was hiding something from him. He could always tell when there was something more she wasn't saying. "Babe I can't help you if you don't talk to me." He said gently to her.

"No, Noah really I'm fine." She said wiping away a few tears. It was going to be hard to protect him if she kept crying and whining about every little thing.

"You don't sound fine," He told her honestly.

He wasn't going to make this easy for her. That was partly why she loved him so much. He always so fiercely determined to take care of her and their family. But at times like this it was a bit inconvenient. She had no other choice but to distract him.

"What are you wearing?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"What are you wearing?" She asked again trying to giggle at how startled he sounded by her question.

"Why do you want to know what I'm wearing?" Puck asked completely confused by his crazy wife. First she calls in the middle of the night mad then she's all crying and now she wants to know what he's wearing? What is with her?

"Noah, I'm trying to initiate phone sex with you and you're making this quite difficult." She said sighing.

"Whoa! Why are we having phone sex? I thought you were upset and shit." He wasn't quite sure what was going on any more and that's exactly what Rachel wanted.

"Are you really turning down phone sex?" She asked him in her most sexy voice.

"I don't know. To be honest I'm still trying to figure out what the fuck is going on?"

Rachel smiled at her opening; he was so easy when he was sleepy.

"What's going on is that we had a fight the other night and we really need to make up for it. And last time I checked there is only one acceptable way to make up. Now I'm in my room and I'm all alone on this big bed, wearing your favorite green thong, and your old foot ball t-shirt and I'm waiting for you to tell me what you want me to do. So again I'll ask you, what are you wearing?"

Puck paused only for a few moments letting everything she said sink in. "Um…I'm wearing my boxers and my pajama pants. Babe, are you sure you still don't want to just …I don't know…talk?"

Rachel made her voice sound all breathy and sexy the way that she knew turned him on. "What I want is for you to lose the pants Puckerman. I want you. Noah, I need you." She said begging him on the phone and with that Puck didn't hesitate any more.

And although they both were physically content and exhausted when they hung up a half an hour later. Rachel felt horrible on the inside.

* * *

Caleb sighed, another Tuesday, he thought as he changed his books for the day. His thoughts were interrupted when his locker slammed. He looked to see a glaring Courtney and rolled his eyes at her.

"Don't you have someone else's day to ruin?" He asked her while he re-opened his locker and finished changing out his books.

She continued to glare. "Actually man whore I don't."

"What do want then Cruella De Vil?" He said slamming his locker and turning to look at her.

"To figure out what exactly you and your artistically challenged father actually think you're going to accomplish with this whole 'rock out' glee club bull shit that we've been doing for the past two weeks."

"Don't talk shit about my dad," He told her warningly

She ignored him and continued on. "You may have forgotten, while you were off having a bromance with your daddy, that we actually have a sectional to win. And I know for a fact that the other teams have hired a pyrotechnician. So doing some lame homage to Aerosmith just isn't gonna cut it."

Caleb sighed "You're boring me,"

"Then let me put this in remedial terms so you'll understand. Give up Glee club captain to me before we lose all chances of taking National's this year."

Caleb laughed at her "Let me put this in terms _you'll_ understand. I'm disinclined to _acquiesce_ your request. In other words: Fuck no," He walked away from her and towards his class but she didn't give up and followed him.

"Fine then, we'll do this the hard way. I just want you to be aware that when we lose sectionals everyone will be so enraged with your horrid leadership that they'll have no choice but to elect me as a new captain."

Caleb spun and met her face to face. "Why do you even want Glee club? You didn't join until last year and that was only because-" He stopped himself. It'd been so long since they were able to have a civilized conversation with each other and he wondered for a second if things were always going to be this way with them. "Well you know."

"Yes I do know. We dated for four months asshole and in high school terms that's like a marriage. Now let's think really hard at what happens when two people get a divorce," She said condescendingly "Did you think of an answer? Because I know I did. Half of your assets are mine. And seeing as how I can't take the football team it seems only fair that I take the Glee club."

Was she serious? This is why she wanted to take over Glee so bad? Was she trying to get back at him after their break up, because that was completely her fault! He leaned into her to make sure she could hear his words. "You…are a crazy bitch."

She stared at him not backing down. "I still want the Glee club,"

Caleb shook his head. "Well, that's not gonna happen" He told her backing up slowing.

"And why not," She asked watching him but making no move to follow.

He answered without pause. "Because unlike you, I actually _care_ about the club and don't want to lead just to make myself feel better."

"Please you just care about your popularity,"

"You really don't know me do you?" He said sadly. Even though they hated each other now Courtney had been the longest relationship he had ever been in. "Listen here you demonic psycho, I'm not giving up Glee club just because you feel like I owe you something. Glee needs the best captain and that's me. Fuck you if you don't like what we're doing. " She continued to glare unimpressed. "And for all the other relationship bullshit you're holding on to, I'll be waiting to talk when you decided to pull your head out from your ass long enough to take a look at how the relationship _really_ ended."

She stared at him and for a moment Caleb was worried that he might have actually hurt her feelings. Then he had to remind himself that he didn't care because this was the chick that mad it her personal mission to make his life a living hell.

He expected her to throw something at him or argue with him. Hell, he even expected her to cuss him out. It was something that she was known to do when she was really pissed but instead she just gave him a bright smile and said, "Fine. We'll do this the hard way."

She turned around and walked away and Celeb began to wonder what he _ever_ saw in her. Chris walked past her and took a moment to glare before approaching his friend.

"What did crazy Courtney want?" He asked.

"Oh you know the usually shit 'I'll get you my pretty and your little glee club too'" Caleb said and he and Chris headed down the hall to their class.

"Do you ever think you two-" Chris started off hesitantly

"Nope," Caleb says cutting him off before he could even finish his sentence.

Chris backed off the touchy subject and went for another one. "Look I don't know if Sarah told you or not but we saw your dad last night while we were at the movies."

Caleb stopped. "You were at the movies with my sister?" He asked deadly serious.

Chris started to fear that he had said too much. This was the first time they'd actually talked about his and Sarah's relationship. He figured his friend already knew everything but now he was starting to second guess that assumption. "Um…yeah,"

With out warning Caleb pulled back and punched Chris really hard in the arm. "Ow. What the hell man?" Chris said rubbing his arm.

"You're dating my sister with out my permission. What did you expect me to do?"

"I thought you knew,"

"I did know."

"Then why did you hit me?"

"First you didn't even have the balls to fucking ask me if I was okay with it and last you broke the bro code."

Chris looked at him in exasperation. He knew Caleb wasn't seriously mad that he was pursuing Sarah but he was gonna give him shit for it. "I didn't break the bro code."

"Yes, you did. Bro Code article 19 A bro shall not sleep with and/or date another bro's sister."

Chris rolled his eyes before pulling back and punching Caleb really hard in his arm. "You dumbass the sub part of that article is that a bro shall not bring his sister around another bro especially if she's hot. So technically you broke the code first,"

Caleb gave his friend a nod of respect for not backing down from his feelings about Sarah. Chris thought he was in the clear until Caleb punched him again.

"Dude, what the fuck?"

"Don't call my sister hot. That shit is degrading." Chris rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to defend himself but Caleb cut him off. "If I were you I get to the point of this conversation before I find other reasons to hit you"

"We saw your dad out last night with another woman." He told him.

"I know and fuck you if you think my dad's a cheater cause he's not," He said in a warning tone.

"I don't! I mean Uncle Puck would never do anything like that to Aunt Rachel…but I'm not so sure Sarah is convinced. She looked really upset yesterday and then she came to me this morning with this insane plan to-"

"She already has a plan?" He asked. He hadn't expected her to come up with something for at least another couple of days.

Chris paused for a second making sure he heard right. "Wait you know that she's trying to get evidence against your dad?" He asked in disbelief.

"Um..duh. How else do you expect me to convince her he's not cheating?"

Chris shook his head. "No man! You're not supposed to encourage her to do this shit. This is crazy. I mean do you know how suicidal it is to try to get dirt on your own dad? This is a bad idea. No good could come of this," He warned

"Look, just be thankful that I put my foot down on stealing the cell phone and hacking the lap top."

"Again no good could come of this,"

"Well right now it's the only one we got. So what has she come up with?"

Chris sighed in defeat. "You're not gonna like this…"

* * *

Rachel gulped down her water as her dance instructor left. It had been a tough lesson but she was getting a lot better and the instructor had even noticed her progress and complimented her on it. In all honesty she wasn't completely horrible but she was no where near where she was in high school. And it was her goal to get those skills back.

She pulled a pair of sweat pants on over her new dance clothes and finished packing her gear. She wiped her face one final time with her towel and turned to leave. When she turned she saw Jesse in the doorway watching her. She jumped back a little startled before laughing at her own fright.

"Sorry, you startled me. How long have you been standing there?" Jesse just smiled and looked over her body.

"Long enough to enjoy the view,"

Rachel's stomach clenched at his inappropriate comment while Jesse laughed and headed towards her. "I'm kidding. I just walked in."

"Oh right," She said but her stomach was still clenched with uncomfortable nerves.

"So, lunch this afternoon" He said taking her bag from her shoulder and walking with her to the door.

"Um actually I'm kind of tired. I was going to head back to my room and attempt a nap before my afternoon voice lessons. Maybe tomorrow," She said as she was attempting to walk out of the studio. Jesse held out his hand to stop her.

"Actually that wasn't a request." He told her. "Some of the other investors are in town and they want to meet our star. So we'll be going out to lunch."

Rachel looked at him and tried to gauge his reaction to her next words. "Is there anyway to post pone till dinner maybe? I didn't get much sleep last night and I'm really exhausted."

"Welcome to the life of a Broadway star." He told her. His careful smile slowly turned down into a frown. "Do you know how many people would kill to have lunch with Broadway investors? And you want to skip because you're tired? Maybe I picked the wrong girl. I thought I was with someone who actually wanted a career." He sighed turning away from her "I don't know Rachel, maybe we should pack you up and send you back to Lima?"

"No!" Rachel said too quickly. If she went home that meant she failed. And she would have to look her husband and children in the eyes and tell them that the faith that they put in her abilities was misplaced.

When she really thought about it, Jesse was right. This was a good opportunity and she really should be able to push through simple fatigue in order to get what she wants. After all what was she going to do when the show started? "Don't send me home. You're right. Just give me fifteen minutes and I'll be ready to go."

Jesse turned back to her with a smile on his face. "Rachel, calm down. I was kidding. We signed a contract remember. I won't be sending you home anytime soon." Rachel let out a breath of relief. He reached out and cupped his hand in her cheek. "But you know now that I'm getting a closer look, you do seem tired. Maybe you should rest this afternoon and we'll reschedule for dinner."

Rachel gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem, beautiful." He said opening the door for her. She walked through it and he followed. When he got through the door he slyly put his arm around her shoulder, pulled her in and kissed the top of her head. "Now go get some sleep,"

Rachel pulled away from him immediately, completely shocked by the action. It was wrong, it was all wrong and she felt it.

Jesse just looked at her innocently. "Something wrong,"

Rachel took a breath. Deal or no deal she would have to set some ground rules and let him know that this type of behavior was unacceptable, especially with a married woman. "I just feel like your actions are a little inappropriate." She told him looking him in the eyes but lacking the complete confidence she wanted in her voice.

Jesse looked back for a moment before he busted out laughing. "Rachel. We're friends and I'm affectionate with my friend."

"But I hardly think-" She tried again before she was cut off.

"You know you're being very unprofessional." She gave him a confused look. "People are going to kiss your cheeks and forehead all the time. It's par the course. You're going to have to be mature enough to handle other people hugging and kissing you. You can't overreact when friendliness is given with out any sexual implication to it."

She took a step back. How did this conversation turn on her? She was the immature one? She knew that in the theater world it was usual for a hug or a kiss on the cheek. But that kiss didn't feel anything like friendliness. Was she really overacting? She didn't know what to think or who to believe and more than anything she wished she had Noah to talk to about the situation.

She needed to get out of there and knew the only way how. "I'm sorry." She lied "I guess I did overreact a bit."

Jesse smiled down to her. "It's okay. I understand you're still a bit new to all this. From now on I'll try to be more cautious with my displays of affection, okay?"

Rachel shook her head. "Okay," She said not meeting his eyes.

"Good, now go get that nap. I need you to radiate tonight." He said to her. She walked away and headed to her room. Not sure if she'd be able to sleep anymore.

* * *

"This is a stupid idea," Caleb said out loud for the fifth time that Wednesday afternoon. They had skipped last period, dropped the van off at the house and had piled into Chris's car for the trip up to OSU.

Sarah glared at him from the back seat. "Hey, _you_ said no stealing and no hacking and _someone_," She said glaring at Chris in the driver seat. "Wouldn't agree to help with my stalking plan,"

"So _this_ is the best you could come up with?" Caleb asked again

"It fits the rules and we didn't have much time to work with"

"Speaking of time, how do you know we won't run into him here?" Chris asked

"Because I made sure that Dad knew that we were running out of food at home and being the loving, caring daughter that I am, I agreed to make the grocery list for him. There is no way he'll be getting done with that list any time soon." She said

Chris looked at her. "You are an evil genius," He told her with a flirty smile. She smiled back at him. Caleb reached out and punched his arm again. "OW man!" he said glaring at his friend.

"Keep your eyes on the road," He told him.

They drove onto the campus and Chris drove over to the athletic department. When he parked they all looked at each other.

Sarah started "Chris, wait in the car while Caleb and I go in and get what we need. I'm not sure how fast of a getaway, we'll need to make so it's better to already have you in place. If we're not back in forty minutes come in after us." She told him

Chris nodded his head while Caleb and Sarah unbuckled their seat belts and headed out. "Be careful." He told them.

"Please," Sarah said rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, dude we're all over this shit," Caleb said shutting his door.

The two made their way over to the athletics building. They went in through the doors of the building. They started heading to the second set of doors that led back to where the football players and trainers were.

It was about five o'clock at night and seemed like most of the people were gone for the day. At the front of the door were two OUS campus police officers. Caleb put his hand out and stopped his sister from walking as two people behind them passed them. They went up to the officers and were turned away.

"Shit, they're not letting people in," Sarah said.

Caleb rolled his neck back and cracked his knuckles. "Okay, you take the one on the left and I'll that the one on right," He said getting ready for a fight and trying to stalk over to them.

Sarah grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Um… I'm a girl"

Caleb looked down like he just noticed that. "Damn! Do you know how much easier my life would be if you were a guy? Sometimes you're really useless to me" He told her.

She raised her eyebrows at him and then looked back to the officers. A plan started to form in her head. "Wait here," She told him while unbuttoning her shirt a little lower so that it showed her bra. She pulled her hair out of its pony tail and teased it out.

She walked over to the officers with a sexy pout on her lips. They were eyeing her with appreciation. Caleb watched in horror as she flirted with them and whispered something in ones ear. The officer swallowed and nodded his head to her. She smiled and made her way back over to Caleb.

"We can go in now," She told him simply. He couldn't believe she just did that. "What was that you were saying about me being a useless girl," She asked him

He glared at her and followed behind her. She smiled and waved at the men who gave her stupid grins. Caleb growled at the perverts eyeing his sister. When all this was over he'd have to make time to come back and kick their asses.

They made their way back to the football locker room. As they passed several players on their way back Caleb noticed them checking Sarah out. "Hey, cover that shit up," He told her pointing to her shirt. She rolled her eyes and re buttoned her shirt.

They made their way back to the trainer's offices and stealthily looked around before walking over to the one that belonged to their dad. They checked to make sure the light was off on the inside signaling that he did indeed go home for the day. Caleb went to open the door and was shocked when it didn't open. "It's locked" He whispered to his sister.

Sarah swatted his hand away. "What do you mean it's locked? He never locks it." She told him. Trying to open it herself but seeing that it was indeed locked. "Shit!"

"Time for plan B," Caleb said pulling out a hair pin. With any luck he'd be able to pick the lock without getting caught. "Cover me," He told her dropping to his knees and concentrating on the lock.

"Wait," Sarah said as the light in the office next door turned off and she heard rustling around in it. "Get up!" She whispered.

Caleb stood to his feet just in time as the door opened and Mr. Ward, their father's co-worker, opened his door. He walked out and locked it. He then turned as was shocked to find himself face to face with the Puckerman children.

"Caleb? Sarah? It's good to see you." He said with a smile. He extended his hand and shook their hands. "Is your father around? I though he left."

"He did," Caleb said quickly. His bullshitting skills were kicking in full force. "But he left some stuff and sent us back to get it for him," He lied smoothly

Sarah nodded her head in agreement and once again was proud to have a brother that was so full of shit. Mr. Ward smiled at the Puckerman children. They were so courteous and well behaved. "We'll that's really nice of you two to come back and help your old man out," He told them

"Well that's what family does," Sarah said with a smile. Caleb nodded as an idea come him. Maybe he didn't have to pick this lock after all.

He turned to Mr. Ward and gave him an apologetic smile. "Well sorry to cut this short but we really should get what he wanted and head home. Don't want to hit traffic," He said turning to his dad's door and feeling around his pockets for the keys that weren't there. "Um Sarah do you have the keys?" He said looking to his sister.

Sarah caught on immediately to his plan and felt around her pockets too. "No, I thought you had them," She said, her voice was laced with worry

"No," He said turning to her. "He told us to go. I grabbed my car keys and you took his office keys,"

"No," She argued with him. "I grabbed my jacket and you took the keys."

"Sarah, he gave the keys to you,"

"No, he gave them to you,"

"I don't have them," He told her

"Well, I don't have them,"

"Aw man. Dad's gonna be so mad when he finds out-" Caleb started but Mr. Ward cut him off.

"I could let you kids in," He told him. Bingo, Caleb thought and he tried not to smile.

"Really," He asked in disbelief

"Yeah it's not a problem," He told them pulling out his keys. "I don't want all your trouble to be for nothing."

"Thank you so much Mr. Ward," Sarah told him with a smile.

He unlocked the door for the teens. "It's not a problem." He looked down at his watch. "I have to be going but when you are all finished just lock the door from the inside and close it okay?"

"Sure," Sarah said

"No problem," Caleb responded.

"Okay you kids drive safe. And say hi to your mom for me," He told them leaving. When they were sure that he left they turned to each other ready for business.

"Okay", Sarah started "We got about twenty minutes to find what we need before we need to go. I'll check the cabinets and you check the desk."

Caleb nodded and headed for the desk with a lump in his throat. It felt wrong going through his dad's office like this (to basically see if he was the type of shitty man that would cheat on his wife and kids). Caleb looked on top of the desk and saw three framed pictures. The first one was his parents on their wedding day. His dad was holding on to his mom's waist tight and he could see her baby bump through the dress. They were married in May and two short months later he was born. He smiled at how happy they looked. No way would the man in that picture cheat on that woman.

The next picture made him cringe. It was one when he and Sarah were about seven and five. Their mom had planned a huge picnic but was sick that day so dad had decided to take them out. They were both holding watermelons and had the juice running down their shirts. Caleb could only imagine the fit their mom threw when they got home. In the picture they were both smiling with the biggest grins ever.

The last picture always made Caleb laugh. It was more recent taken only about two years ago when they took their family vacation to Hawaii. The picture was taken on the last night they were there at a luau. It was funny because in the picture he's eyes were checking out the Hula dancer next to him while Sarah was rolling her eyes on the other side. In the middle were their parents and they weren't looking at the camera either. Dad was looking at mom with a lewd smirk and mom was looking at dad trying not to smile and failing. All in all it was the perfect summary of their family and it never failed to make them laugh.

"Ah HA" Sarah said from across the room. She came running over to him. "Jamie. Jamie is a girl's name!" She said pushing the folder under his nose.

Caleb's heart began to pound. And he tried to ignore the sinking in his stomach. He looked down at the file and felt the relief flood through him. "Jamie is also a boy's name and seeing as _this_ Jamie weighs two hundred and forty pounds, I'm gonna have to assume it's one of the dudes that dad is training." Sarah slumped back over to the cabinets and continued searching. "Why are you looking through his files? I don't think he would keep his mistresses info in the same files as the guys he trains."

"Well you never know." She said not looking up from the files. "You find any thing?"

"Um…" He said realizing he hadn't even started looking. "No, nothing yet." He said

She finally looked up. "Did you even start looking?"

Caleb rolled his eyes and started searching the desk. Most it was paper and stuff for his dad's work. Every once in a while he'd find a post-it with reminders that he must have written to him self. 'Change oil in truck' 'Caleb football game Friday' "Victoria's Secret for Rach.' (After the last one Caleb stopped reading the post it notes).

He didn't find anything on top of the desk and started to look in the drawer. The drawer held a variety of things like, pens, paperclips, gum, and condoms. Caleb didn't want to think about why his dad would have condoms in his desk drawer at work but if he parents were horny enough to do it on the kitchen table he wouldn't put it past them doing it in he dad's office. He shuddered at the thought. And then there were more pictures and random scraps of paper with names and addresses on them.

Caleb flipped through the pictures and saw more of the same: Him in his football uniform after winning last year's championship game, Sarah during her piano recital, Mom and the other Glee kids smiling with their Nationals trophy. There were a few of his dad and his mom in high school with his aunts and uncles. One was of his mom and dad at their high school graduation. His mom was on his dads back and they were both smiling still dressed in their caps and gowns.

The last picture was strange and seemed out of place. It was a picture of a newborn baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket. Caleb stared at it confused, as far as he could tell it wasn't baby Sarah in the picture. Why would his dad have a picture of a random little girl? Was she like his dead little sister that they never know about? I mean they had an Aunt Rebecka but what if there was another?

"Find anything?" Sarah said coming up behind him. Caleb put the picture at the bottom of the stack before placing it back in the drawer.

"Nope nothing yet," He told her pulling out the scrap papers and flicking through them. "I'm telling you. He's not cheating. You're not going to find anything because there's nothing to find"

"Just keep looking," She told him as she made her way over to desk and started looking over his shoulder as he flipped through the names with the addresses and numbers.

Matt Rutherford

Burt Hummel

Beth Corcoran

Lauren Zizes

Blaine Anderson

"Wait," Sarah said snatching the scraps from his hand. She flipped back and pulled out two of the names. "Notice how these are the only two female names out of the bunch. I'm sure our mystery home wrecker is one of the two." She said

Caleb rolled his eyes and snatched the papers back. "Or they could just be some business associates."

Sarah snatched the papers again. "Or one of them could be fucking our dad on a weekly basis,"

Caleb snatched them. "Or they're just some old friends from high school"

Sarah snatched them "Or they could ruin our family as we know it and destroy all chances of us having a normal life" She said raising her voice.

Caleb snatched them "Or…your face is ugly" He said failing to come up a decent come back.

"That's the best you can do?" She said sarcastically before snatching the papers and writing down the information in her notebook that she carried in. After copying the information she took out her camera and took a picture of them. Caleb looked at her like she was crazy. "What? I'm documenting evidence."

"Well hurry up MacGruber. We gotta get going before lover boy shows up," He told her. "By the way, why the fuck didn't you tell me you were meeting him the other day at the movies?"

"I didn't think it mattered," She said

"You're making out with my best friend and you didn't think it mattered?" He asked her.

"We are not making out! We're just…" Sarah paused trying to find a way to explain herself. "Now is not the time to have this conversation," She told him as she started to put the addresses back in the drawer and shut it.

"Whatever," Caleb said looking around the office to make sure everything was put back exactly as they found it not that it would matter. His dad probably wouldn't notice anyway unless something major was missing but it kinda made him feel like a shitty spy if he just messed up the place and didn't put it back together.

When they both decided it looked right. Caleb double checked to make sure the door was locked and they both headed out. When they left the place looked more deserted than it did when they went in. Even fewer people were around and the ones that were still there looked at them like they knew the Puckermans were out of place. They both kept their cool though and walked (swiftly) back to the main doors.

They were almost home free when someone grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her back. Caleb stopped in the tracks ready to punch the bastard until he saw it was the OSU officer from early. Only this time he was by himself.

"I was wondering when you'd be leaving," He said leaning into her. Sarah pulled away in disgust. "I just got off my shift if you wanna go have some fun. A girl like you looks like she needs someone to show her a good time,"

Sarah was about to reply but Caleb cut her off "Get your fucking hands off my sister you perverted piece of shit,"

The officer turned and glared at Caleb. Sarah pulled her arm back and walked over to her brother and tired to pull him away before he did something stupid. "Why don't you run along and let this fine piece of ass decide what she wants. She's a big girl," He said reaching for Sarah again.

Sarah pulled away and Caleb stepped in front of her. "She's fucking fifteen, asshole" He tells the guy.

That should have been the end of it. They should have been able to walk away home free from there but they didn't. Instead the officer looked Sarah up and down before taking on a sinful grin and replying "Well that's okay too. I won't tell."

Caleb snapped. Literally his arm snapped and punched the douche in the face. Did that son of a bitch just really say that about his little sister? It was like he couldn't control his fist even if he wanted to (which he didn't). First it was just one punch then it turned into two and before he knew it Sarah was pulling him off the officer telling them they needed to get out of there before they got caught.

That snapped him back a little bit. He got up and turned to leave but ran back and gave the guy one last kick in the gut. When he turned to go (for real this time) he saw two OSU officers coming from the hallways finishing off their rounds. They stopped when they noticed the two teens the office on the ground in front of him. "Oh Shit!" He said turning back to his sister quickly. "Run!" He told her grabbing her hand and booking it out the building.

They made it out the building and back up the path with out even checking behind to see if they were being followed. First rule of being chased is to never look back. They made their way to where Chris was parked in the parking lot but when they reached the lot it was completely empty.

"Fuck," Sarah said loudly looking around as if the car would magically appear. Her lungs were burning and she thought they were home free. "Where the hell is he?"

Caleb didn't think twice and pulled out his phone. Chris picked up on the first ring. "Where the fuck are you?" He yelled grabbing his sister's hand and crossing the empty lot. He could hear people starting to follow up the path.

"They closed the lot and made everyone move. I've been driving around the campus for the past thirty minutes. Campus security or police whoever they are is starting to get suspicious. I think they think I'm some crazy stalker killer," Chris explained

"Yeah, well we got them chasing us. We fucking need to be picked up now?"

"Why are they chasing you?"

"No time to explain just get you ass over here!" He said as the officers entered the parking lot and saw the two teens on the other end. Sarah and Caleb ran out of the lot towards the connecting road. He looked over at her concerned. She was asthmatic and he knew it was pushing it for her to run as much as she did. If she passed out or had an asthma attack they were really fucked. But if he carried her they wouldn't be able to put as much distance between them and the OSU officers.

"I'm turning down the road now," He told them. "How will I see you guys?"

"Oh trust me you'll be able to spot us," Caleb told him before hanging up. They got to the road and ran down it with out looking back.

Caleb was right they were hard to miss because when Chris turned down the road he was met with the sight of his best friend and his crush running for their lives being chased by four campus police guards. Chris picked up speed and passed the officers to get closer to his friends

Sarah wanted to cry in relief when Chris's car quickly pulled up next to them and the doors flung open. "Get in," He yelled.

They both got in the car and he pulled off in a flash. Caleb looked back concerned at his Sister. "Take your inhaler," He told her. He could see her face was red.

"I'm fine," She said trying to catch her breath.

"Just fucking take it," He yelled at her from the front seat. Sarah complied and reached in her purse for her medicine.

"What's wrong," Chris asked concerned from the front seat. He tried to turn and look and look at her but Caleb stopped him.

"She's got fucking asthma man! That's why we needed you five fucking minutes ago!" He yelled.

"I'm sorry!" He yelled back. "I had to move. Security made me! I'm here now. Is she going to be okay?" He asked, his voice was still laced with concern.

"Just fucking concentrate on driving, alright. Let _me_ worry about my sister." He said annoyed

"How the hell am I supposed to get out of here," Chris asked panicked. They didn't chase the moving car but feared they might have called for back up or something.

Sarah spoke up form the back seat. "Take a left at the next stop sign"

Caleb whipped his head back. "You alright," He asked her concerned.

"I'm good," She reassured him

Chris turned the corner and the teens were met with a campus police car down the road. Chris panicked and didn't think. He quickly popped a U-turn and went the other way cutting off several cars and receiving honks.

"What the hell man?" Caleb yelled

"Police was down the road," Chris yelled

"Yeah well you just made us look fucking suspicious" He yelled back. As the campus police car put on its flashing lights and started to chase them.

"Shit!" Sarah yelled

"Nice going," Caleb said to his friend

"Should I stop?" Chris asked concerned

"NO!" They both yelled at him.

"What are you fucking crazy? Drive! Just drive and lose them," Caleb told him.

"You know maybe you should stop yelling at me," Chris yelled to him

"Well maybe you should stop doing stupid shit to make me yell!" Caleb continued to yell.

Chris made a hard turn right and they all had to hold on.

"Maybe you both should just shut the fuck up so we can get out of here," Sarah snapped from the back seat.

The police turned the corner too and this time they noticed it wasn't just one car but two.

"Fuck, we got more of them," Chris yelled looking in his rear view mirror.

"Chang, I swear to fucking god that if you stop this car I will kick you ass!" Caleb yelled.

"Pull a left here," Sarah instructed.

Chris turned left down a side street and knocked over a couple of trash cans.

"Shit out of everyone why did we let the Asian drive?" Caleb said back to Sarah.

"You're making a left when you get to the end of the street," Sarah told Chris

"Hey, fuck you Puckerman I resent that stereotype," Chris yelled to him. As he pulled off the street and made a hard right.

"Left, asshole, left!" Caleb yelled. Chris panicked and pulled another U-turn. "I guess you don't resent it enough to actually drive better"

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck both of you!" Sarah yelled "When you get to the end of the road make a right and we'll be off campus. The highway is about ten minutes down the road"

"Guess we're home free and the Asian driving saved the day," He said.

Just then a third cop car pulled up the street facing them. "Shit!" Chris yelled slamming on the breaks so they didn't crash.

They were all stunned silent for a moment not really believing what was happening. They were trapped. They were caught. They were in so much trouble

Caleb turned and glared at Chris "You were saying?"

* * *

**Oh I do love the Puckleberry offspring! I know Puck wasn't in this chapter much but trust me you'll get enough of daddy Puck and his reaction in the next chapter. I want to post again this week. But I'm not gonna be stupid enough to try to name a day.**

**Okay so let me know what you think. Please review. I was so excited at the feedback from the last chapter. And I do like to hear you're thoughts and comments. It makes me smile. **

**Thanks again! Review!**


	9. Not Cool

**I am so so sorry for taking so long to update. My beta's computer crashed and she didn't have one for like 2 weeks. Then I had some problems with my computer. Again I'm so sorry. To make up for it this chapter is the longest I've written (and to be honest I could have made it longer.)**

**I again have to thank my amazing beta RedsatinBlacksilk for helping me as I re wrote this chapter about four times. Thank you for all the reviews and all the support. **

**Okay let's get this party started...**

* * *

Puck tired to call Rachel again and for the eighth time in a row he got her voice mail.

"Hi, you've reached Rachel Puckerman; I'm sorry I can't get to the phone right now but if you would leave your name, number and brief message I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you and have a great day"

Puck sighed in frustration. "Answer your fucking phone." He yelled at the message. "In case you didn't hear the other seven messages our pain in the ass kids have gotten arrest by OSU police and I'm my way there now to deal with it." He slammed the phone shut and threw it into the seat next to him.

And here he had been thinking that today had been easy. Granted he didn't realize that they were running out of food because Rachel normally went shopping once a week. It was cool. He got the list from Sarah and took care of that shit. He was handling his business and thought that they were doing good.

Then he gets home to find the van at the house with no pain in the ass kids. Weird but he shrugged it off. Maybe they were off studying at the Library or some shit. Then his thoughts were crushed when he got a call from the OSU police department saying that they arrested Caleb and Sarah for assault, resisting arrest and disturbing the campus peace.

Fuck his life. The first thing he did was grab his keys and head to the car. Then he tried to call Rachel and had been trying for the past twenty minutes. Now that he thought about it; he grabbed up his phone again, hit send again and yet again got her voice mail.

"Shit!" He yelled while her message played. "I really need to fucking talk to you. Call me!" He yelled at the phone.

He honestly didn't know what to do. His kids had obliviously done their share of stupid shit before (come on they were his kids. How could they not do stupid shit? It was in their DNA) but they've never done anything this bad. Getting arrested? Granted it was only the campus police department and not the real police but that was beside the point. He was having flashes of juvie already. A part of him was disappointed. He thought they were in the clear of shit like this. After a certain point he just realized his kids were way to smart to fuck up that bad. Apparently he was wrong.

Puck picked up his phone and dialed Rachel's number one last time. He again was met with her voice mail.

"Fuck!" He yelled and slammed the phone shut with out even leaving a message this time.

His kids had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

The three teens sat close together on a bench in the OSU police station. They watched and waited for their fate. Chris just knew his mother was going to kill him. For some reason out of all of his siblings, he was the rebel of the family. And half the time he didn't even do anything. He was just normally around to tag along when Caleb did things. Like the time they snuck out and went to party but were both too drunk to drive home. Or the time they stole all of the hockey teams clothes just to teach them that football was better.

All those times he got into a lot of trouble. All those time were completely Caleb's fault. But this time it wasn't just Caleb that got him into trouble, it was Sarah too. And this was worst of all. He was arrested and there was no denying that fact.

Caleb looked up and saw Chris glaring at him. "Hey don't glare at me. You're the dumb ass that can't drive. This is all your fault." He told him

Chris looked back at him shocked. "How is this my fault? Sarah's the smart ass that came up with this insane idea!" He really didn't want to blame her but when thinking about it logically this was her idea.

Sarah looked at both of them offended. "This is not my fault. The plan was going great until this Jack ass decided to punch the cop"

"I'd rather be Jack ass than a dumb ass" Caleb mumbled

"Well I'd rather be a dumb ass than a smart ass" Chris said back. Caleb and Sarah both looked at him confused. Until he realized what he said and they all started laughing. "Gosh I really am a dumb ass,"

"No argument here," Caleb said. They all leaned back on the bench and took in the scene around them. They weren't put in a holding cell because Sarah argued with the senior office about the dangers of putting underage children in the same confined environment as real criminals and that given the nature of their arrest it wasn't necessary. At first they didn't buy it but she pleaded their case for almost a full thirty minutes and finally they just wanted her to shut up.

The officer that was handling their paperwork and processing was a cute little blonde. Caleb had tried to flirt with her to see if he could talk them out of it. But she just rolled her eyes and told him to sit down. It seemed like none of their usual tricks were working. They had already called their parents and there was nothing left for them to do now but await their fate.

"So, how much trouble do you think we're in?" Chris asked wearily as the officer that arrested them came in and began talking to the blonde that was handling them. They were in conversations for a while before both of them turned and glared at the three offending teens.

"I'd venture to say lots" Caleb answered him.

The blonde officer made her way over and stood in front of the teens. She folded her arms and fixed them a glare. "Care to give me an explanation" She said simply

They all looked at each other. "Um…excuse me?" Sarah asked.

"We have footage of your little adventure this evening. I could bust you for assaulting an officer, trespassing, disturbing the peace, resisting arrest and stalking." She gave a pointed look at Chris.

"I wasn't stalking! I was just driving around till it was time to pick them up!" Chris blurted out.

"Yeah and we aren't trespassing. Our dad works in the athletic department so we have a right to be here" Sarah said defensively.

"Oh, trust me we all know who your father is," She told them with a knowing smile. Sarah had to fight back the urge to throw herself at the woman and kick her ass. "Which is why I'm curious as to know why his children are sitting here in the OSU police station with charges and evidence of assault,"

"We didn't assault anyone" Sarah snapped.

The woman arched and eye brow to them. "I've got a tape of the incredible hulk here" she said gesturing at Caleb "beating up an officer. So again I'll ask, care to give me an explanation?"

Chris looked at Sarah. Sarah looked at Caleb. Caleb just sighed. How the hell was he gonna Bull Shit his way though this? It was time for him to break out with his secret weapon; big fancy words and proper speech that confused the shit out of people. It was time to go Berry (A term their dad made up for when they basically talk with their huge vocabulary that they picked up from their mom and use it against people.)Of course, they knew how to talk properly and shit they just choose not to. I mean why would you tell someone to 'kindly move to a more appropriate distance from you' when you could just tell them 'Back the fuck up'? Every once in a while it was time to pull out the big guns. Maybe with the skills of his dad and the words of his mom he could talk them out of this. May the bull shitting force be with him.

"Actually I think it's you who should be giving the explanation. As far I could see there was only kind of an assault that occurred this evening and it was a sexual assault," Sarah and Chris looked at each other. Where the hell was he going with this? The woman only glared. "I was only acting in self-defense for my unfortunately frail _asthmatic_ sister against the perverted sexual deviant that you guys hired to protect your public," He told her honestly as if that was all the explanation that she needed.

She was unimpressed. "Elaborate," She commanded

"Please do," Sarah said beside him and gave him a warning look. _Don't fuck this up_. They would be in even more trouble if he did. He only gave her a smirk in return. It made him look so much like their dad that it freaked her out but reassured her all at the same time. He'd get them off the hook.

"Look we were only here to acquire some things for my dad that he left at his office. That officer started flirting with my sister which was completely inappropriate and honestly: a little unprofessional if you ask me," He stage whispered to the officer. "But the OSU family has always been good to us so we ignored his advances and continued on with our business."

"Go on?" she said.

"Everything was fine until we were leaving and the lewd officer decided to get more aggressive in his advances towards my sister. I kindly let him know that his rude advances towards my sister were not appreciated and that they were also inappropriate due to her being underage. The crazed sex- addicted officer in question disregarded my forewarning and continued with his unacceptable behavior. He seized my sister by the arm and made several comments that were so vulgar that I'll not repeat them," He told the officer pretending to be offended. He had this shit in the bag.

"So when did you decide to hit him?" The officer asked with her arms still folded.

"Well ma'am, I have to be honest." He said biting his lip and pretending to look vulnerable. "Violence is frowned upon in our family and should only be used in self-defense when there are no other acceptable options. But when I saw the look of shear terror in on my baby sister's face after being molested so indecently by that demented hypersexual man, I knew I had no choice but to intervene and protect her honor. For all I knew the man was suffering from satyriasis and would have stopped at nothing to have intercourse with a minor right on campus. I'm sure statutory rape is the last thing OSU needs for its reputation, especially if the offending party is a campus police officer with an abnormal sexual craving for underage girls." He told her trying not to be too smug.

If Chris could he would have stood to his feet and started a slow clap that built into a thunderous applause because that piece of bull shit was a work of art. What he just witness was nothing short of a master piece and he was a little awestruck at his friend for achieving such a level of bull shitting greatness.

Sarah wasn't quite ready to start celebrating yet. She knew what her brother just did was nothing short of magic but it really didn't matter unless the officer took the bait. And from the looks of it she wasn't buying it.

She glared down at him. "And that's the story you expect me to believe?"

Sarah stiffened but Caleb just relaxed a bit more onto the bench. He popped his hands behind his head in a cocky gesture and stared down the officer. He made sure not to crack or show any signs of weakness. He knew he had won. "Does you footage have audio?" The officer's eyes went down even more. And Caleb guessed her answer from her lack of response. "Then that's our story. Anything else would be his word against ours and there are two of us, one of him and she's only fifteen. But if you'd like I can write down my formal statement and we can see about the proper procedures of pressing charges against that repulsive potential rapist that attacked my sister."

Caleb met her glare head on not backing down. The officer finally shook her head and cracked a smile. "God, you are your father's son"

Chris and Sarah looked to each other and then back at the officer. Caleb only continued to look at her. Not cracking. Not letting down his defenses. For all he knew this was a trap to get a real confession out of him and he wasn't falling for it. Not after the shit he just pulled.

"Oh relax kid, I'm not going to book you," She said grabbing her clipboard and filling out some paperwork.

"You're not?" Chris asked hesitantly

"After that masterpiece he just spit out, how could I? It made me want to go and take a few swings at Gomez myself." She said as she continued writing. "Lucky for you this isn't the first time he's had a complaint against him by a female student."

"So we're free to go?" Sarah asked daring to hope. Maybe if they timed it just right they get home before their dad and deny that this ever happened.

"As soon as your parents come to get you," The officer assured them effectively killing all hope of their parents not finding out. "To tell you the truth I wasn't gonna book you in the first place." They just looked at her. "Oh come on! I know Puck. You think I want to be the one responsible for putting his kids in jail? Besides your dad and I go way back and now he kinda owes me," She said with a smile before heading back to her desk.

"Dude, I can't believe you just talked us out of jail," Chris said to Caleb. "You're like a fucking legend now. You reached a new level of badassness,"

"It was pretty legendary," Sarah agreed.

Caleb still didn't fully relax. His body langue was the same and didn't show any signs but his mind was still fully alert. He didn't and wouldn't trust that this was over till he was safe at home. "Yeah, well let's not push our luck till we get out of this joint," He told them.

His friend wouldn't hear any of it. Chris was on a natural high from the relief of not getting into trouble with the police. "Whatever man, you just totally Sparta kicked that bitch with your words. I mean think about it, with Sarah's plans, my driving and your freaky bull shitting skills we could rule the world. No one could take us down!"

Mike Chang entered the police station and Chris's face fell as his dad made his way over to the officer at the desk.

"Shit. He's going to kill me," He started to panic as the lady pointed him over to where they were sitting.

"He doesn't look _that_ mad," Sarah tried to reassure him. In all truth he looked totally pissed as he slowly started to stalk over to them.

"Easy for you to say, you get arrested and your dad will probably throw you a party. I get arrested and I bring shame to Chang family name." He whispered frantically as his dad got closer.

"It could be worse," Caleb told him.

"How,"

"It could be your mom picking you up."

Chris glared at him as his father finally stood in front on the teens. The look of anger and disappointment was clearly written on his face.

"So this is studying with some friends?" Mike asked him.

Chris opened him mouth to say something, anything that would help his case. He hasn't seen his dad look this mad since the time he and Caleb threw a foam party while his parents were out of town.

Sarah tried to jump in and help. "Uncle Mike, it's not his fault. We were visiting the Library on campus and the situation just got out of hand," She lied smoothly

Chris gave her a grateful smile. Mike didn't buy it.

"I'd say it got really out of hand since you guys ended up getting arrested." He told them

"No! It wasn't like that," Chris said getting flustered. Maybe he should try to bull shit his way out of this like Caleb did. "Caleb sexually assaulted the officer that punched his sister," He said but he knew it was wrong. He was too nervous with his dad there. There were too many words and accusations in his head he couldn't seem to put them together right like Caleb had.

They all stopped and looked at him. Mike in confusion. Caleb and Sarah in horror. He was so not helping his case.

"You did what?" Puck said coming in on the wrong part of the conversation. The color drained from the Puckerman children's faces. This was so not what they wanted him to hear.

"Wait it didn't happen like that," Sarah said quickly to put her dad and uncle at rest.

Chris tried to cover for his mistake. "No, I meant I drove them so they could stalk the sexually assaulted officer that hit Sarah after raping Caleb."

"What the fuck?" Puck asked looking over both of his children to make sure they were okay. If someone had laid a finger on his kids he'd fuck them up. This sounded at lot worse than he first thought it was.

"Dude shut up!" Caleb said to Chris. He was his best friend and all but sometimes he didn't know when to shut up.

"No, its okay Caleb you can talk to us about it if someone touched you in a way that…" Mike began.

"Fuck! I wasn't raped" He yelled loudly gaining the attention of the whole station. The blonde officer saw the commotion and made her way over to the parents.

"Puckerman, glad you can finally join us" She said to him teasingly.

"Don't bull shit me. What the fuck happen to my kid?"

"Dad-", Caleb started to explain but was cut off by the blonde.

"What are you talking about?" She asked confused

"Well we-", Sarah tried to jump in but was cut off by mike.

"Look lady, don't try to protect your own. Why aren't we at the hospital? The kids already told us about the rape. " Mike told her. He was just as angry as Puck and ready to kick someone's ass.

"Rape," She said alarmed. Looking down at Sarah she asked "There wasn't any rape on the tape. Is that what really happened?"

"FUCK! There's a tape? You got a tape of some sick mother fucker violating my son!" Puck yelled.

"Your son? I thought it was the girl that got attacked," She said concerned looking over her notes and the police report.

"He raped both of you?" Mike asked concerned.

"NO ONE GOT RAPED!" Sarah finally shouted to the adults. They were being totally ridiculous.

"But Chris said-"

"No I didn't mean that. I just meant-" Chris started

"Dude shut the fuck up!" Caleb yell at his friend before turning back to his dad and uncle "Chris is a dumb ass," Caleb He declared to the group as if that was all the explanation they needed.. He was pretty pissed with how his friend had royally screwed them all and completely put his foot in his mouth.

"FUCK, can someone just explain to me what the hell is going on here so I know whose life I'm ending?" Puck said

"You're not ending anyone's life," Sarah started "A security guard got a little flirty and handsy with me. Caleb told him to back off and the jerk wouldn't so he beat the shit out of him. Then we ran because we were afraid of getting in trouble and once the police started chasing us we freaked and tried to out run them. _That's_ what happened. No one was raped or violated or whatever the fuck you guys are freaking out about."

Mike and the officer visibly calmed but Puck didn't look like he 100% bought the story. He turned and gave a hard look to Caleb. "Is that really what happen? Cause-shit- if it's something else you can-"

"Dad," Caleb stopped him and stood up to look him in the eye. "Do you really think I'll let a fucker get close enough to me to do something like that? I just kicked that guys ass cause he was messing with my sister just like you taught me. That's all that happened."

Puck nodded and grabbed his son to pull him in for a tight hug. Those five minutes when he thought someone had hurt him were the scariest of his life. Caleb hugged his dad back realizing how scared he really was at Chris's fuck up. Maybe the relief of both him and Sarah not hurt would be enough for to get away with this untouched.

Puck pulled away and looked his son in the eye. "Don't ever EVER fucking scare me like that again!" He told him

Caleb gave him a sheepish smile "We'll technically I didn't scare you. It was Chris that-" He stopped talking as his dad glared at him basically telling him to cut the bull shit. "Yes sir. It won't ever happen again," He said quickly.

"Well, now that we got that all cleared up. You guys are free to go." The officer started. "I hope you guys never end up in here again but in case you do," She pointed to Caleb "let him do all the talking," She chuckled.

Caleb gave a cocky smirk and started to relax a little. Maybe everything would be okay. After all it was just a big misunderstanding. Surely his dad would think that it was funny. If anything he would proud that he was able to effectively talk his way out of jail. Times like this he was thankful his dad was a badass and could appreciate other badassary. His mom would so be freaking out right now if she were here.

The blonde was about to walk away when she remembered something. "You owe me Puckerman." She said with a teasing smile on her face. Again Sarah wanted to rip the lady's hair out. She briefly considered if this was the woman they've been searching for but then she remembered that the blonde at the movies had longer hair. She may not have been the home wrecker but she still wanted to kick her ass for flirting so openly with her dad when his kids were sitting right there.

Puck just rolled his eyes and sighed "I'll talk to coach and see if he can start in next week's game. But I swear if that cocky ass son of yours lets anyone through to touch my QB he'll be doing suicides for a month."

"Deal," She smiled wide and headed back to her desk.

Mike sighed and looked down at Chris "Well, we should probably get home and start convincing you mother not to send you to Asian Military School."

"Asian Military School," Chris gulped and looked over at his friends for help. Sarah gave him a sad smile and Caleb just gave him a shrug. He finally stood up with his dad.

Puck looked over at Mike "Try not to let her kill the boy at least not until football season is over. They're up for state again this year and he's the best kicker they've got," He joked.

"I'll do my best. You have fun trying to keep thing 1 and thing 2 here in line," He said with a nod over to his niece and nephew.

Puck chuckled and shook his friends hand before he left with Chris in tow leaving him alone with his two children. Sarah and Chris looked at him and tried to appear innocent.

"So I think that now that everything is cleared up. We should just be thankful that we are all here, we're all safe and we're all not raped." Caleb said.

Puck slapped him in the back of head as they gathered their things to leave. "Not funny,"

Sarah tried to cover for Caleb and hugged her dad tight. "We're sorry we scared you daddy,"

He hugged her to him as he walked. "I'm just very relieved that nothing happened to you two," Puck told them seriously as they started to walk out of the station.

Sarah dared to hope too. "Does that mean that we are totally off the hook and can pretend like this never happy." She said giving her dad a sweet smile.

Puck chuckled and they began to feel relieved .He lead through the station doors and over to where the van was parked. They both took breath of fresh air as they felt the stress of the afternoon melt away. They were safe and going home.

"Oh no, you guys are in tons of trouble." Puck unlocked the doors and crushed all of their dreams. "Take in the fresh air of freedom now cause it's gonna be a long time till you'll get it again." They looked at each other and then back to him in disbelief.

* * *

Rachel gave a dazzling smile as she accepted the expensive wine the server had poured for her. Normally her tolerance for alcohol was low but her time in Chicago so far has taught her to handle it. She'd nurse this glass for night and make sure to drink plenty of water.

Her afternoon nap was just enough for her sort out a few things. One of the first conclusions she came to was that she did not trust Jesse. Something about his kiss that afternoon felt like so much more than friendship. And while it seemed ridiculous to assume that he went through all of the trouble of putting the show together just for her, she refused to be naïve to the fact that it did create opportunities for him to take advantage of her. He wanted her and she didn't know how far he was willing to go to get her.

Still with all that in mind she still couldn't refute the fact that this deal was an amazing opportunity for her family. She was definitely making more than she was as Glee coach and could help support them better financially.

And a more selfish part of her will admit to the fact that this is her dream. She can't deny that. At first when Jesse presented his offer she didn't even allow herself to consider it. When Noah presented it again she dared herself to hope that it could really be possible but still kept it at a realistic distance. But now that she was in Chicago, surrounded by producers, vocal coaches, Choreographers and many others she could not deny that her dreams from long ago were sitting right before her eyes. And all she had to do was reach out and grab it.

It was difficult for her to balance who she was and who she wanted to be but she was determined to make it work. So she decided that while he did not fully trust Jesse she would still work with him through this deal. If anything she was keeping her friends close and her enemies closer.

So that evening, she was dressed in a very expensive Vera Wang Plum gown and put in the new diamond chandler earrings that Jesse had gotten for her. And when she entered the dining room of the restaurant where they were meeting the investors, she made sure her personality was nothing less than absolutely charming.

"So, Rachel how did you and Jesse meet again? From what I've heard he had a bit of a crush on you back then," One of the Investors asked as they finished their soup. To be honest it was difficult for Rachel to tell them apart besides male, female, young, or old.

She took a small sip from her glass and pretended to blush as she glanced over in Jesse's direction. Questions like this always made her feel uncomfortable. Like people didn't really believe she was talented enough to play Maria and that he only hired her because he had a thing for her. Well that statement might be partly true on his part but not on hers. She smiled over to the man.

"Actually we met at a music store my sophomore year of high school. I was looking for new material for my schools Glee club and-"

"And I couldn't take my eyes off of her." Jesse said cutting her off. Rachel bit back the slight annoyance that rose up. He'd been doing that a lot in the past weeks; finishing her sentences or stories as if she couldn't finish them herself. "I had seen her perform at sectionals that year. She was absolutely captivating. And seeing her again I knew I had to finally make my move-"

"So he introduced himself and looked though the material I had picked up." Rachel paused and gave a small smile to him. The investors and others always liked when they shared moments like this. It made them feel that if they could trust Jesse and his talents they could defiantly trust Rachel "And then he suggested we sing together. And so we did."

"Right there in the middle of the store?" One asked a little shocked.

Jesse chuckled and nodded his head. The whole table broke out in warm laughter at the thought of two young teenagers bursting into song in the middle of a music store. Rachel didn't really see what was so funny about it but she laughed along too.

"What song was it?" One of the female investors asked as they laughter settled down.

"Hello," Rachel and Jesse said together. And again the table chuckled.

Rachel reached for another small sip of her drink when she felt her phone vibrate in her purse. She pretended not to notice. It didn't make any noise but she could feel it. The Salad course came out and then server asked for their choices on the main course.

Rachel didn't even bother to look at the menu as she came up with a clever way to dazzle the investors. She turned to the one sitting never to her and gave him and big smile.

"What's good here?" She asked him

He gave her a small chuckle and turned to the server "She'll have what I'm having, the prime rib, it's the best in all of the city," He said and the others chuckled and gave warm smiles.

"Actually," Jesse said interjecting. "She and I will both have the salmon,"

Rachel was about to protest when she felt her phone vibrate again. She questioned whether or not she should answer but quickly put that thought from her mind. Whatever it was it could wait.

"Oh, come now Jesse let the girl live a little," The one next to her said teasingly. She was starting to like this one better than the others. She'd have to make an effort to actually remember his name.

"Are you trying to make my lead actress fat?" Jesse joked back at him.

"I'm sorry my dear but it seems you are at the mercy of your stubborn producer," He stage whispered to her. The others at the table looked on and laughed as Jesse rolled his eyes. And Rachel felt her phone ring yet again. "I'll tell you what. When the show wraps I'll personality fly you back for the prime rib," He gave her a little wink and Rachel giggled.

Her phone started vibrating again and now she really starting to get concerned. Maybe something had happened back home? Maybe Noah got sick and the kids were trying to get a hold of her to figure out what to do? She was about to excuse herself when Jesse stopped her.

"Rachel, you haven't touched your salad. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine." She said grabbing her fork and about to take a bite when Jesse again stopped her.

"Oh God, is that Blue Cheese? No, wonder you haven't been eating," He stated. "Did we order you Blue Cheese? I thought I specifically said balsamic vinegar." He snapped his finger for the server.

"I'm sure it was just a mistake," She said.

"We'll it's a mistake we can't afford." He told her while turning back to server. "This salad is wrong and Ms. Berry needs another one. Don't you dare bring her the wrong dressing again or I will have your job."

Rachel looked at him in horror as her phone vibrated once again. "Jesse, it's fine really."

"No, it is not fine. Your voice needs to be in perfect condition and I won't have it ruined by this imbecile's clumsy mistake."

The server took her salad and walked off quickly. The others at the table gave nervous chuckles until the investor sitting next to Rachel again spoke up. "I guess we all know that's why they call you the bad boy of Broadway,"

The tension was cut and they began to chuckle. Jesse gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I'm just so concerned for her. She's so amazing and I don't want anything standing in our way."

Rachel cringed inwardly when she heard 'our way'. As if they were partners. In a way she guessed in a way they were. Her fate and career was tired to him.

The server quickly returned with a new salad for her and apologized again. She gave him a small smile. "You're doing a really good job," She told him in encouragement.

He opened his mouth to respond but Jesse cleared his throat and the server quickly rushed off. Rachel grabbed her fork and took a delicate bite of her salad when she looked up again the whole table was looking at her. Had she done something wrong?

Rachel felt her phone vibrate yet again. Panic started to rise in her chest. She needed to answer and soon. She would get through her salad course and then excuse herself to the restroom to answer the call.

The female investor cleared her throat. "So Rachel, I'm sure you've been enjoying the vast opportunities the city has to offer but tell us, what is your home life like?"

Rachel wiped her mouth with her napkin and took a sip of wine before she tried to respond but again Jesse cut her off.

"Rachel was raised by her two fathers who passed away a few years ago," He told them and they all gave her looks of sympathy and pity.

"You poor dear, so you've been all on your own since their death?"

"Actually-" She said when phone vibrated again. Something was definitely wrong and needed to answer it immediately. She glanced over at Jesse and he shook his head slightly trying to communicate a message to her but what the message was she wasn't quite sure. Was he telling her not to take the call or not to talk about her family? Could he even hear her phone vibrating from where he was? "I have a lot of friends for support," She said still looking at him trying to read his expression. He relaxed his face. Then he nodded down to her salad telling her to eat.

Rachel obeyed completely confused. The others at the table continued on with idle conversation while Rachel finished her salad and pretended to look interested. The servers came back and removed their salad and their appetizers were presented. As the rest of the table dug in Rachel felt her phone vibrate again. He heart sank lower in her chest. Something was wrong. There was an emergency back home and someone was hurt. For all she knew Noah could have been in an accident, Caleb could have broken something during football practice, or Sarah could have had an asthma attack. Either one of them could be fighting for their life while the others tried to call her panicking not knowing what to do.

She needed to get up and excuse herself. Go to the bathroom or tell some other lie, just anything to get up from that table and answer that phone. But she was stopped yet again. "Rachel I've heard so much about you're wonderful talents. I wonder if you'd be able to sing a little bit for us."

Rachel looked around the table as the other investors agreed. She smiled back politely "I would love to really but my vocal coach advises that I should save my voice," She declined.

They frowned at her answer and the one next to her gave her a smile "Just one song. I promise they won't bite and you'll never hear the end of it till you do," He told her.

Jesse fixed her with a look. "Surely Rachel, Palao will understand. Just one song so everyone can see how spectacular you really are," Everyone agreed and murmured their encouragements to her. She really had no other choice she thought to herself and nodded in agreement to the request.

Jesse called someone important over to talk to them about setting her up on the stage to sing. They nodded in enthusiasm and quickly ran off to get things set for her. Rachel couldn't find it in herself to pay attention to any of it though. She could only focus on her phone as it vibrated yet again.

* * *

Skid mark and booger waited in silence as their dad unlocked the door to their house. The car ride home was tense and quiet. Sarah was exhausted from the day and actually fell asleep. Caleb on the other hand was trying to see if his dad was serious about them being in trouble. He could just be pulling their leg and making them squirm.

Puck opened the door and motioned for his kids to get in the house. They walked in and he shut the door. Not bothering to turn on the hall light. "Living room! Now," he told them.

The teens walked into the living room and sat side by side on the couch waiting to meet their fate together. They both clicked the side lamps on either side of the couch and waited.

Puck walked into the living room and began pacing the floor. He was trying to get his shit together long enough to deal with his kids but it was kinda hard. He thought long and hard on the ride home.

He was fucking relieved that nothing happened to them. The rape thing scared the shit out of him. But he was still pretty pissed they got arrested in the first place. Seriously what the fuck! They were supposed to be toning down the plans and schemes now that Rachel was gone.

And thinking about Rachel just pissed him off. Where the fuck was she? He knew she had shit she was doing but seriously if your husband calls you 10 times. You gotta know that it's fucking important.

"How the hell…" He started as he paced but stopped himself. "Are you out of your damn…" He stopped. "I mean what the fuck we're you…." He tried again.

They both just stared at him confused. He wasn't really making sense or finishing complete sentences for that matter. "This shits not cool" He finally communicated to them.

Caleb tried to hold in his laughter when he heard his dad say that. It was what he used to say when they were growing up and they did something wrong. "Not cool" and they'd know that what they did was bad. But somehow him saying it now was just as comical. He smiled and swallowed down his chuckle but his dad caught on to his expression.

"And this shits not funny either," Puck told him.

"No your right it's not," Caleb tried to say with a straight face but couldn't keep it together. He laughed a little. "Dad come on! You gotta admit this…I mean it's a little funny," He said with a smile trying not to laugh again.

Puck gave him a serious look before turning to his daughter "And you? You think this is funny too?"

Sarah tried to read his mood and expression but wasn't sure. "I think it's not a serious as everyone is trying to make it out to be," said diplomatically.

"I see," Puck said pacing the room again. "SHIT!" He yelled. He had no clue what to do. And what pissed him off even more was that his kids seem think it was some sort of joke. He turned back to them a little exasperated. "Okay I know your only 15 and 17 years old so try to break out of you immature adolescent teen mind long enough to see where I'm coming from. You're my fucking kids….and you got arrested. No parent, anywhere, wants to hear that." He told them. "Fuck no parent thinks that's cool or funny"

"But dad-" Caleb tried to argue.

"No. Cause I don't think you fully understand just how pissed I am at the pair of you. I mean fuck you guys know better. Your smart kids! How the fuck did you get arrested? We're not supposed to be doing this shit. I'm supposed to pick you up from fucking music practice not fucking prison!"

"I think you making a bigger deal out this than there needs to be," Sarah told him.

Puck stopped pacing and looked at the two of them "Really?" he asked in a very scary quiet voice

"Yeah," Caleb agreed "I mean, yeah so we got arrest but we didn't actually go to jail. Hell this shit isn't even gonna be on our record. AND I'm so badass that I think we got a future pedophile fired. So I don't see what the big fucking deal is." Sarah nodded with her brother.

Puck shook his head in disbelief "How the hell did I raise such dumb ass kids?" He asked himself. Caleb and Sarah looked offended but he didn't care. "No you two are real dumb asses if you think that getting arrest is no big deal! It's a huge fucking deal! This is the hugest fucking deal of them all besides being pregnant," He pause and gave them a warning look as if to say neither one of you better be pregnant "Oh and FYI being a REAL badass is not getting arrest and running from the police and shit. Being badass is handling your shit and carving your own fucking path. Getting arrested just makes you a dumb ass loser."

"Why are you so pissed at us?" Sarah said back getting defensive "It's not like we tried to get arrest on purpose. Shit happens okay? Besides isn't it a little hypocritical for you to yell at us for getting arrested. Weren't you the one who went to juvie when you were our age?"

"Because fuck! Yes. I was that dumb ass loser that fucked up and went to juvie. And I'm so pissed because you're supposed to know better! Supposed to _be _fucking better!" He yelled. Puck took a moment to calm himself down before talking again. "I was dumb as fuck about a lot of shit back then but you two- you're smart! You got the best of both worlds cause you got the street smarts and the book smarts". He said looking at them both in the eyes so they knew he was serious. "What the fuck were you even doing in the first place?"

Sarah and Caleb took a quick glance at each other before turning back to him. "We were at the library." They said together.

"Cut the fucking bull shit okay. I know you weren't at the library," He told them. Pacing again he realized what was wrong with the situation. Besides the obvious, he didn't have a partner; someone to balance the situation.

Going into shit like this he and Rachel always play it good cop bad cop; or in their case freaking the fuck out cop and chillaxed cop. Without her he had no balancing force to come back and chill him out. Better yet if she were here she'd be freaking the fuck out and force him to be the chillaxed cop. Whatever the case her not being here seriously fucked his shit up and he had no idea how to handle this on his own.

"Fuck its like. I don't even know what to do with you." He told them. "You get arrested and think that it's no big deal. You're fucking lying to me now about shit. I mean why don't you guys just steal the fucking car and go rob some casinos or some shit because you've obviously such big badasses."

They lets his words wash over them and really started to feel the effects of them. One thing was very clear; he was seriously pissed at them and the situation. They knew of course that they had fucked up but they didn't think he'd take it so seriously. It kinda hurt that he thought they were being dumb asses. It was one thing to piss off mom and make her flip out but to make dad flip out too a lot. They really were in deep shit.

Right on cue Puck's phone rang.

_Sweet Caroline good times never seem so good._

"About fucking time," Puck said answering it on the first ring.

"Noah? What's happen? What's going on?" Rachel said trying to keep her voice down as she paced the bathroom.

"Where the fuck have you been? I've been trying to call you all night,"

"I'm at an investment dinner. Now what's wrong?" Rachel asked growing more concerned.

"It's your dumb ass kids that's what wrong" He told he

"Oh my God? Are they hurt? Was there an accident?"

"What? Fuck no. Didn't you listen to the messages?"

"No I-" Rachel took a calming breath "Noah just please tell me what's wrong with the children"

"They got fucking arrested!" He told her.

Rachel was quiet for a few beats waiting for the rest. "Is that all?" She asked taking a breath of relief that none of her children were laying in a hospital somewhere fighting for their lives.

Puck took moment as well. Did she really just fucking say that? "What the fuck do you mean is that all?"

"I mean no one's hurt are they? Or sick or anything?" She was met with silence and decided to continue on "When I saw that you called so much I assumed it was some sort of emergency,"

"Okay maybe you didn't hear what I said. You kids got fucking arrested! Even if it's not what you may count as emergency it's still a big fucking deal!"

"Well of course it's a big deal? H-How did it happen?"

"I don't fucking know. Apparent some douche on campus tried to come on to Sarah and pissed Caleb off so he beat the shit out of him. And then they ran when the police tried to stop them."

"Wait this happened at OSU? So they were only arrested by the campus police?"

"What the fuck do you mean _only_? They were still fucking arrested." He was starting to get annoyed with her. Like she couldn't fucking see how serious this shit was.

"Well did they actually get booked? Did anyone press charges?" She asked.

"No. Tracey took the case and let them off with a warning"

Rachel quieted her voice when another patron walked into the bathroom. She held her phone closer to her ear and tried to huddle over into a corner a little bit. "Then what's the problem?"

Puck pulled back little bit from the phone as if it had physically shocked him. Caleb and Sarah watched and knew that whatever mom had said to him it had not been what he wanted to here. He was pissed.

"Did you really just fucking say that to me?"

"If they were only arrest by the OSU campus police, no charges were pressed and your friend let them off, Noah I-"

"They were fucking arrested! It doesn't matter by who and it doesn't matter if they were charged or whatever bullshit you were saying. It shouldn't have fucking happened in the first place! That's the damn problem. That's the big fucking emergency."

"I understand you're upset but there is no need to take this out on me,"

"And I understand you're off having cocktails with douche but you can at least pretend to give a shit about your own kids," He spat back at her.

"That's not fair." She told him trying to keep her voice down as the lady washed her hands. "I care! When I saw all your calls I got away as soon as I could. I was so worried that one of you were hurt or dying Noah. I understand that this is important too but compared to the alternative I'd rather be dealing with a misunderstanding like this than dealing with one of children in the hospital. Look at the facts they weren't arrest by the real police. Nothing is going on their permanent record. They aren't being charged and they are home and healthy and safe." She took a deep calming breath "Now I can't really discuss this further with you right now but I'll call you as soon as I get home and we can discuss this then."

"I can't fucking believe you right now,"

"Well what do you expect me to do from here Noah? I'm standing here in a bathroom in the middle of a very important dinner." She asked exasperated.

"You know what fuck it! Fine. I don't expect you to do anything. Go back to your bull shit party. I'll just make sure our fucking kids don't turn into fucking criminals since you're too busy with all your bull shit."

"Noah-"

"Just fuck off, Rachel," He told her before hanging up on her. He threw his phone across the room and hit the wall leaving a mark. Mercifully it didn't break though.

He ran his hand over his head a couple of times before putting it over his face. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took deep breaths trying to figure out when everything got so fucked. If someone would have told him a month of go that this would happen he would have told them they were fucking crazy. But now, this was his life; his dumb ass kids arrested and his fucking wife too busy to give a shit. What the fuck happened to his family?

Caleb and Sarah sat stunned on the couch. They've seen the parents fight before. They were used to the little arguments and the shoe throwing. But something about what they just witnessed felt different. They had never heard their dad talk to their mom like that. Sure they've seen him hang up on her before but one always called each other right back. A few moments passed and they knew she wasn't going to call back. They looked at each other. Trying to communicate to each other, come up with a plan or do something to fix whatever the fuck just happened but they were powerless.

Caleb cleared his throat. "Um dad," He asked tentatively. He didn't want to scare him in case he forgot that they were still in the room.

"Just go to your rooms," He told them and they could hear in his voice that he was trying to hold on. He didn't bother to look at them and just kept his eyes close. "You're both grounded."

"For how long," Sarah asked in a quiet voice to show that they were going to except their punishment without argument.

Puck sighed deeply before he dragged his eyes open and looked at them. "Until I fucking forget what happened tonight." He told them "You guys fucked up real bad and I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with. So for right now you're grounded. No TV. No friends. No internet. And no cell phones. So leave them on the coffee table and go to your rooms."

They both stood silently and took out their phones. They turned them off and put them on the coffee table. Caleb wasn't sure about Sarah but he felt like an even bigger asshole now. The whole point was to keep things from falling it apart but all they've seem to do was make shit worst. Sarah felt guilty as well. Maybe this time they did take their plans too far.

They both headed out of the living room. Sarah only stopped briefly to give her father a hug and tell him she loved him. They both said good night and went upstairs. Sarah headed to her room and was surprised when Caleb followed her into the room and quietly closed the door.

"We fucked up," He told her.

"I know." She told him sinking down onto her bed "But how do we fix it?"

"I don't know if we can," He told her honestly.

"What?" Sarah sat up suddenly alarmed by his words. "There has to be something we can do. We have to fix this," She said

"I know," He told her trying to calm her down. He took a deep breath and let it out trying to think "Okay look. I say we let him breath. He's pissed right now so we just give him some space and let him figure this shit out. Mom won't last the week with the fight hanging between them so it'll all blow over in a week or so okay." Sarah nodded his logic made sense. "I say, we suck it up and take the punishment with a smile on our face as best as we can. And we're not pulling any more shit okay."

Sarah again just nodded. "Okay you're right and dad's right. We're dumb asses and we made things worst but- we just need to fix this okay?"

"Okay," He told her. "Now that we got that settled, where are the phones?" He asked her.

Come on they always had a backup plan. They had Pay-as-you-go phones stashed away from occasions just like this. When they were grounded and their parents took their phones. It didn't happen often but they were always prepared.

Sarah stood up and started digging through her closet.

"Remind me again why we decided to keep them in your room instead of mine?"

"Because," Sarah said from the closet "you suck at hiding things. Mom found your stash of porn twice." Caleb winced at the memory and the awkward conversations that followed. He was thankful his dad rescued him before his mom got into her 'healthy masturbation' speech. He was even more grateful when his dad let him keep them. When she found them again though there was nothing that could save him from that speech and the thoughts about it still made him shudder in horror. He couldn't touch himself for at least a week afterwards.

"We couldn't afford for them to find these." She said finally walking out of her closet with two phones still in their packages.

"Alright you know the rules," He told her as he took his. He had to actually use the go phone plan before. Sarah had not. "Keep it hidden. Only give the number to people you absolutely have to."

"I know I know." She said.

"Also watch the minutes. We got 200 minutes each but we don't know how long we're gonna be grounded so we gotta make them count."

"So does that mean you won't be giving the number out to random cheerios?" She asked sarcastically.

"Only the really hot ones," He told her. "Get some sleep." He told her before quietly sneaking out of her room and going back to his. Sarah stared down at her phone. How the hell did they mess things up so bad?

* * *

Puck sat back on the couch and took a swing of his beer. He usually didn't like the drink too much at home. Some shit about setting a bad example. But tonight he fucking needed it. What he honestly wanted to do was crack that unopened bottle of Jack Daniel's that Finn had gotten him for his birthday but he shook that thought away. If his dumb ass kids tried to sneak out or steal their phones back tonight he wanted to have his wits about him to stop them.

It was sad that he had to think about them like that. Before it was unquestionable trust and if they said they weren't going to do shit they weren't going to do it. And even if they did pull something they fucking owned up to it. But now he didn't know what to fucking believe. He was finally getting a taste of what he put his mother though back in high school and it fucking sucked. He almost wanted to call her and apologize.

He just didn't want to think about this shit. He didn't want to think about his kids lying to him and sneaking around. He didn't want to think about not trusting them. He didn't want to think about Rachel and how she'd rather be out partying with that asshole than at home taking care of her own fucking kids. How could she say this shit wasn't important? What was her fucking problem? And then to question him like he's the fucked up one for being concerned? This shit sucked and he didn't want to think or deal with it.

His phone rang but it was not the ringtone he expected.

_Upside, inside out she's livin la vida loca  
She'll push and pull you down, livin la vida loca_

Puck sighed and contented himself to ignore the call. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now. He just wanted to sit on the couch, finish his beer, and not think. The phone stopped ringing and he propped his feet on the coffee table. Rachel would be pissed if she were home but right now he couldn't bring himself to give shit. He started to sit back when his phone rang again.

_Upside, inside out she's livin la vida loca  
She'll push and pull you down, livin la vida loca_

He got up, now really annoyed and found his phone from where he threw it earlier.

"What?" He answered not even bothering to give a formal greeting.

"Tell me no one fucking touching my nephew," Santana said to him just as pissed.

"What?" He asked confused. It sounded like she was driving. "Satan you been taking your crazy pills?"

"Shut up asshole and answer the question," She said. Puck was quiet trying to remember the question but he was apparently taking too long. "FUCK! Puck just tell me that Caleb didn't get rape."

"Oh shit! No," He said. Now that he knew what she was referring too he actually felt kinda bad for her. He knew how scared he was earlier in the night. "No, Satan. He's fine. Mike's kid is just a dumb ass and couldn't get his story straight. Caleb and Sarah weren't even close to being attacked or any of that shit."

He heard her take a few calming breaths through the phone. It almost sounded like she was crying cause he heard her sniff a few times. Any other time he'd tease the shit out of her for that but not this time. Again he knew how it felt. "Tina had said something about Caleb being raped and I didn't think I just got in the car. I guess I should turn around then huh?"

"Shit, Finn let you leave by yourself?" He asked.

"No, he's working late tonight. I left him a note. I just-" She took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm sorry. I panicked."

"Don't worry I know the feeling" He told her. "But I am kinda curious, what exactly did you think your pregnant ass was gonna do?"

She laughed. "Fuck that noise! If anyone had hurt a hair on my babies heads I would have their balls in my hand Pregnant or not,"

Puck chuckled as well. Strangely talking to Santana was making him feel better. Maybe because she was always exactly like him. That's why there were always great friends but could never go further. They were too much alike. Sometimes it was annoying as shit but right now it was actually helpful.

"Yeah well your babies are future convicts now." He told her.

"Shit so they really did get arrested."

"Yeah the two dumb asses got arrested and then tried to tell me it was no big deal. They tried to say it just made them more badass."

"What? Fuck that!" Santana said back to him. "Did you light into their asses? Shit getting arrested is a huge deal."

"Thank you! That's what I fucking said," He continued to tell her. "And then they said some shit about my being hypocritical cause I went to juvie,"

"Which is why they should fucking listen to you!" She commented back. He could her slam her car door shut in the background. "I mean and shit they are not you! You didn't have a dad and your mom worked most of the time so you basically raised yourself and your sister. They've got two kick ass parents that are always there for them and always give a shit."

"Well not always." He told her.

Santana was quiet. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"Apparently I'm over reacting to this shit and it's no big deal. I mean once Rachel found out they were arrest she didn't give a shit and went back to partying with St. Dickwad. She basically told me to fucking handle it myself." He continued to rant on.

"Did she actually say that?" She asked patiently

"No, but she might as well have," He told her.

"Puck look. Rachel is dealing with a lot of shit right now-"

"Oh like I'm not," He cut her off. Maybe talking to Satan wasn't such a good idea.

"I didn't say that. Will you let me fucking finish?" She waited to see if he would talk and when he didn't she continued. "Anyway asshole, she is dealing with shit she doesn't know how to handle and trying to balance shit she's never had to deal with before. She probably didn't know what the fuck to do or say. Knowing her she'll be blowing up your phone by the end of the night with speeches, pie charts and other shit to handle this so just give her a break."

Puck was quiet and took in what she was saying. "Like _I _know how to deal with this shit?" he mumbled

"You are the delinquent" She teased him.

"But they're not." He told her seriously. "They're not fuckups like I was in high school. Yeah they may pull some shit every once in a while but they never gave me a reason not to trust them."

"I don't think they are turning into you." Santana told him. "So stop worrying so damn much about it. They have too much of Rachel in them to go down that road. Plus are you forgetting that you're their fucking father. _You_ won't let them turn out like that."

Puck sat back on the couch and took another swing of his beer. Leave it to fucking Santana to come in and in the course of five minutes figure out the root of his fucking problem. Ever since he got that call that's what he's been afraid of. Like maybe no matter what you fucking do some things will just be. Maybe no matter what he did for them his kids really could end up fucking up their lives. That was a reality he couldn't handle. He could deal with all the shit they pull. He could deal with all consequences for shit he himself did. But if he'd be damned before he let them screw up their lives.

"So what'd you end up doing to Bonnie and Clyde?" She asked him trying to smooth over the awkward moment of calling him on his own shit.

He sighed. "I grounded them. No TV, friends, internet, phone."

"What? THAT's all?" Santana asked. "FUCK Puckerman I thought I knew you better than that."

"What else was I supposed to do?"

"Fucking put the fear of God in those kids! That's what you do. That think it's funny to get arrested and want to be badasses then you make them regret it. Make them _want_ to be good kids that obey their parents. Show them who the _real_ badass is."

"So you're suggesting…"

"I'm telling you to fucking pull Gestapo tactics on your kids! Scare them straight!"

"How,"

"Give them extra homework. Make them clean the house. I don't know. Be creative. You're Noah Puckerman I'm sure you can figure something out."

Puck thought about what she was telling him and laughed. "You really think this is the solution to my problems?" He laughed again and downed the rest of his beer. Her word started making sense. Maybe he did need to scare them straight. One of his problems when he was their age was that his mom was never around long enough for punishments and shit to actually stick. So the whole discipline thing was null and void in his house. But Santana was right. His kids had him and he'd be damned before he let them fuck up their futures.

"I can hear the twisted wheels in your head turning already." She told him. "I think my work here is done."

"Yeah Satan you've definitely done your job. Those kids aren't gonna know what hit them," He chuckled.

"Good. Well then I'll leave you to plot. Finn'll be home in about an hour so I have about enough time to shower and eat before I jump his bones and we screw for the rest of the night."

"Too much information,"

"What the pregnancy hormones make me horny as fuck. Well more so than usual,"

"Good night Satan," He told her forcefully before hanging up the phone. He tossed it on coffee table and shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe he was about to follow parenting advice from Santana Hudson.

* * *

**There you have it. Chapter 9. I hope you all enjoyed.**

**If you liked it, review. If you didn't like it, review. If you thought it was okay...well you know what to do. Again thanks for all the support. It means the world to me. Its really comforting knowing that other people are reading this besides me and my beta.**

**Chapter 10 will be up soon. And I really mean that. If it's not up by the end of the week, then it'll be up next week.**

**Thanks again! Review!**


	10. Badass Boot Camp

**Okay we have a lot to cover so let's jump into this. (Sorry I know everyone hates long A/Ns but it has to be done)**

**First this chapter is about two weeks late but it is also really long so that that should more than make up for that.**

**Second I'm going to be gone for the next few weeks on vacation so I won't be updating soon. That's partly why I made this chapter so long. **

**Next Red Satin and Black Silk is the best beat in the world and I would have never gotten this far with out her encouragement. Seriously she rocks. She has a new fic up that she started to help give me encouragement on the more difficult scenes to write. Check it out it's called Always Yours. And you can give her a bit of love for all the hard work she does on ****KIT**

**Lastly I want to thank everyone for all their support on this story I know you are getting tired of me saying this but it means so much to me. I know I may be taking some turns that not everyone likes but PLEASE stay with me and trust me. This WILL have a happy ending.**

**Alright enough chit chat let's see what daddy Puck is up to.**

* * *

Puck woke up promptly at 5:30 am. After he came up with a plan; he decided to get to bed early so he could put his plan into action and so he didn't want to have to deal with whatever shit when Rachel called him back. (She called twice but he pretended not to hear it).He set his alarm the night before so he could make sure that he had enough time to set things ups. Operation: Badass Boot Camp was on and these kids weren't gonna know what hit them.

He got dressed quickly and went downstairs to fix things for them. He then made himself some coffee and sat, slowly sipping until his first cup was done. Then he made his way up stairs and stood in the middle of the hall. He put his whistle in his mouth. Brought the pot and spoon up and waited until the clock on his wrist said 6:00am. Show time.

He blew the whistle as hard as he could and made such a loud sound in the middle of the quiet house. He also started banging the spoon on the pot over and over again. This went on for about a solid two minutes until his two kids emerged from the rooms looking groggy and confused.

"Good morning my two dumb ass kids," He said as he pulled the whistle out of his mouth and gave them a bright smile.

"Dad what the fuck is going on?" Caleb asked with his voice thick full of sleep. He jumped out of bed when he heard the noise and didn't even bother putting a shirt on or pants for that matter. He stood in the middle of the hallway in his boxers.

"Yeah is everything okay," Sarah asked just as sleepy.

"Oh yeah. Everything is fine. Great even" He told them with a smile on his face. "You see something occurred to me. There is a very thin line between being a Badass and being a Dumbass and I realized last night that maybe I haven't done my dutiful job as kickass father by teaching you guys that. So now we're gonna go back to the basics and fill in the holes that are missing in your badass education,"

They both just stared and looked at him like he had completely lost.

"You're both in badass boot camp." He told them simply.

"Are you kidding?" Sarah asked at the same time Caleb asked "You're joking right?"

"Nope," He said making sure to pop his 'p'. "Badass boot camp starts right now. You both got 15 minutes to get dress and meet me down stairs in the living room. And I'd wear sweats if I were you." He blew his whistle and made them both jump.

Sarah got moving and ran back to her room to start getting ready. Caleb stood in the hall in disbelief. "Dad come on…"

"Fourteen minutes and 43 seconds" He told him seriously. Before he started banging the spoon on the pot again. Caleb rolled his eyes and went back to his room. "Chop chop. Badasses get to sleep in. Dumb asses don't." He yell to them through their doors before making his way down stairs.

He was surprised that they both made it within the time limit. Sarah cut it at little close but still made it. They both looked a little disheveled and tired as fuck but they were there. They went to go sit on the couch but Puck stopped them right away. "Oh no you don't. Badasses get to sit. Dumb asses don't. You can both stand there while I tell you what I want you to do."

"I thought we were already grounded," Caleb asked with a big yawn.

"You are grounded. And in addition to serving you sentence you'll also be enrolled in Badass boot camp. As of right now you're both dumb asses. You both don't get your official title of badass back until you graduate boot camp," He said taking a seat right in front of where they were standing. "Look, I meant what I said. There is still a lot of shit you guys don't know about life and it's pretty fucking messed up that you don't see how dumb getting arrested is. I didn't quite understand the difference between badass and dumb ass when I was you're age and I'm not gonna let you guys make the same mistakes I did trying to figure them out. So for the next few weeks I'm gonna be Major Pain-in-the-ass Puckerman, the drill sergeant of bad ass boot camp and your worst night mare. Got it?"

"Yeah," They both mumbled.

Puck blew his whistle loudly and made them jump again. "Next lesson. Badasses know where to respond with respect and know when no to. Dumb asses just mumble yeah to their drill sergeant. So let's try that again. Got it?"

"Yes sir." They mumbled again. Puck again blew the whistle.

"Badasses also know when to speak up."

"Yes Sir," They said louder.

"Good now drop and give me twenty," He told them. They hesitated, trying to see if he was serious and he just blew his whistles again. "Badasses know to listen to even bigger badasses. So now make that thirty." He said.

There was no hesitation this time as they both got down and started doing pushups.

When they got to seventeen Caleb didn't go down all the way on one so Puck blew the whistle and added ten more before making them start all over. By the time they were done (after restarting for a second time because Sarah started to bend her knees) Puck had them switch over to their backs and made them do crunches next. They were both tired and sweaty when they got done.

"Alright back on your feet." He said blowing the whistle. They learned to stop jumping at the sound by now and just stood up like he said. "My watch says its 6:40. That gives you an hour to clean up the kitchen and get ready for school. Van pulls out of the driveway at 7:40 with or without you."

Caleb raised his hand. He was starting to catch on the game his dad way playing. "Um permission to speak…sir?" Puck just nodded at him and told him to continue. "So does this mean my driving privileges are revoked?"

"That's right. I'm glad you caught on to the next lesson. Badasses drive themselves to school. Dumb asses get rides from their parents. Now if I were you I'd get going," He said before blowing the whistle again.

Caleb and Sarah trudged off towards the kitchen. "Don't worry," Sarah told him when they were out of ear shot of their dad. "We'll just load up the dishwasher and wipe down the counters. Then we can shower, go to school and get away from Major Pain-in-the-ass."

They walked into the kitchen and stopped in their tracks. The whole place was a wreck. There were mud foot prints on the floor. Flour on the counters and ceiling. It looked like jelly was all over the kitchen table and there was a sink full of dishes that weren't there last night. To make matters worse there was sign written in their dad's handwriting on top of the dishwashers saying 'Broken: Do Not Use'.

"What the fuck happened in here?" Caleb asked his sister and she just shrugged.

Puck came up behind them and startled them as he walked into the kitchen. "Oh did I forget to mention that I tried making breakfast this morning with the lights off? Yeah I struggled for a bit but I finally got my coffee" They looked back at him with wide eyes. Did he just say coffee? This whole mess was for coffee? Puck went back to the coffee pot and poured himself another cup. He fixed it to his liking then took a big sip. "Have fun cleaning it up," He said before turning around and walking back into the living room to watch the morning news.

Caleb headed to start the dishes while Sarah started on the table. "Your dad is fucking crazy!" He whispered to her afraid of being heard. For all he knew his dad would come in there making them do pushups again and saying some shit like 'bad asses get to cuss and dumb asses don't'.

Sarah looked up offended "My dad! He was your dad first," She whispered back.

"Yeah, well he likes you more," He hissed back.

"He does not!"

"Does too,"

"Does not. Now, just shut up and clean before we get in even more trouble." She whispered to him.

Caleb rolled his eyes and went back to the dishes. "Does too," He mumbled under his breath.

They finished cleaning by 7:15 and had just enough time to take a ten minute shower each and get dressed for school. They came running down stairs with five minutes to spare and found their dad sitting at the kitchen table eating eggs and reading the newspaper.

"Glad, you guys saved yourselves enough time for breakfast," He said causally.

Caleb walked over to the cabinet to grab a pop tart but stopped when he didn't see them. "Where are the pop-tarts?" He asked.

"Oh those are gone." He said and he enjoyed the look of shock on his sons face. "Yeah see badasses get pop tarts. Dumb asses get toast." He said pointing to the plate of plain toast sitting and waiting for them on the counter.

They both fought back their groans and they took the toast and ate it plain. (They were both afraid to ask for jelly knowing that badasses get jelly and dumbasses don't.) When they finished they grabbed their book bags and headed out to the minivan. Caleb had to fight down the bitter embarrassment that he felt at being dropped off at school by his father. This was totally taking down his reputation.

Puck drove them to school with a smile on his face whistling a tune. They were both quiet while he drove. Sarah half expected him to kick them out and make them walk. Caleb just didn't want to say anything to piss him off anymore.

The whole drill sergeant dad thing was creepy. Puck pulled up to the front of the school right where everyone could see them. Caleb tried to sink down a bit and unclick his seat belt fast. Hopefully no one would notice him.

"Wait just a second." He told them before they could rush out. He didn't want this moment of embarrassment to pass by too fast for them. "Now we got Glee this afternoon so we'll all drive home together afterwards," He told them. They both nodded and tried to leave again. "I'm not done yet. If I hear about or even catch a whiff of you two fucking up. Badass boot camp is gonna get a lot harder on you two." He told them seriously. "And I'm only doing this shit cause I love you guys and don't want you screwing your shit up."

They nodded at his words. Sarah gave him an awkward hug from the backseat and Caleb cracked a smile.

"Alright that's all. Get to class. Badasses show up for shit. Dumb asses don't," He told them.

They rolled their eyes and got out of the car. Puck waited till they were a little bit away from the car before he rolled down the window and yelled. "I love you Skid Mark and Booger. Have a great day and learn lots," He waved at them frantically and tried to contain his laughter when they both turned red and walked faster into the school and tried to avoid the looks people were giving them. Bad ass boot camp was gonna be lots of fun.

* * *

Rachel called him as soon as she woke up that morning. She had tried twice the night before but each time it went straight to voice mail. She knew he was ignoring her and she couldn't say that it didn't sting a little.

She did however understand why he was so upset. Noah was such a passionate person that when he was thrust into situations like the one last night he tended to feel that if you didn't agree with him than you were against him. She probably should have handled it better but at the time there really was nothing else she could do for him or the kids.

She was in a bathroom and honestly she was just more relieved that no one was injured or dying. She just needed to get through the dinner and then go back to her room so that she could think and handle the situation in the most rational manner.

However after she reevaluated the situation and their conversation she could admit that she did seem a little unconcerned about the problem at hand. As soon as she got home she started to do research about juvenile arrest and started looking up applications for the scared straight program at the local lime jailhouse. She also prepared a speech that she would reach to the children over the phone.

That is if Noah would answer his phone. It rang four times and she was prepared to leave a message and tell him how childish it was to ignore her when he suddenly answered.

"Hello," He answer.

"Oh- Noah. You answered?" She asked confused. She actually wasn't expecting a conversation this soon.

"You called didn't you?" He said back sarcastically. She could hear the bite in his voice. "You know when people call your phone you're supposed to answer"

"Well, that's why I called. We need to talk about last night" She said before asking "Where are you? You sound like you're driving?"

"I'm on my way to work. Shifted some things around since I took over Glee" He told her.

"Oh…" She was quiet for a bit not knowing what to say

"Is that all?" He asked her and made sure she caught the irony of using the same words she did last night.

"I didn't know what to do okay?" She said exasperated "I kept feeling my phone go off and I just thought that there was some sort of medical emergency. So when there wasn't, I was just relieved."

"Okay," He told her quietly

"And I admit my response to the situation make have seemed a little unconcerned but you have to understand. I was in the middle of a bathroom during a very important dinner with big investors of the Broadway show. I barely managed to get away as it was. There wasn't anything I could do at that point. Plus in the wake of my relief I still didn't have time to really process the information and come up with an appropriate plan of attack."

"Okay," He said again

He was really starting to annoy her with his one word answers. "So while I won't apologize for my intentions because honestly I've always had the best of them, I will apologize for how my actions were taken and how things happened between us last night." He was quiet and she would have thought he hung up if she didn't hear his breath on the phone. "Noah?"

"I heard you." He told herand didn't offer anything else.

She sighed in irritation. He obliviously was still mad. "Well in any case I have some things prepared for children. I wrote a speech to give to them and there is a program in town that takes-"

"I handled it," He told her shortly.

"What?"

"You basically told me to handle it. So I fucking handled it."

"Oh-um…how?" She tried to keep the hurt out of her voice.

"Does it matter?" He asked her sarcastically again.

"Well…I just thought that maybe…you know if you needed me to-I could-"

Puck cut her off again "There's not much you can do from Chicago," He told her harshly.

It was a low blow. He knew it. He also knew that he had cut her deep with that one but in the moment he really couldn't find it in himself to give a fuck.

"That's not fair," She said back to him trying to swallow down the hurt his words caused.

"You said it not me," he told her. Now she was the one not knowing what to say. They sat in silence on the phone for a few more minutes until Puck couldn't take it anymore. "Look I'm almost on campus so I'm gonna go."

"Okay." She told him quietly. "I'll…um….I'll call you later I guess," She said in small voice.

"If you have time." He said back to her. It was quiet again as his words hung in the air.

"Right….well….I love you." She told him. Fighting her tears.

"Love you too." He said back. Before hanging up the phone.

Rachel stared down at the phone for a moment before bursting into tears.

* * *

"Hey," Sarah said to Chris. She made her way over to his locker before heading to the cafeteria for lunch. "I haven't seen you all day? How'd things go for you last night?"

Chris put his final book away and shut his locker. "Well, I'm not going to Asian Military School but I am grounded for the rest of my life."

"Ouch," Sarah said wincing. "Well, at least your parents aren't putting you through 'Badass Boot Camp' and waking you up at six in the morning." Chris gave her a questioning look. "Don't ask,"

"Right" He said nodding awkwardly.

"So listen, we were grounded too and my dad took away our phones. So here is my new number until I get it back." She handed him the sheet of paper she wrote out with her number on it.

Chris hesitated. "I thought you just said he took your phones?"

"He did but Caleb and I always have a backup plan. We've had Prepaid phones stashed away for years in case something like this happened." She explained with a smile until she noticed that he still didn't take the paper she was offering. "Is something wrong?"

"No it's just…um," He paused and avoided her eyes. "After last night my mom was pretty pissed at me and…um," He shifted awkwardly from one foot to another. "She doesn't really want me to hang out with anybody right now,"

Sarah just stared at him not understanding "Okay? So what does that mean?"

"I means," He sighed before looking at her. "It means that maybe you and I should cool it for a little while. Just until this arrest thing blows over and everyone isn't so pissed"

"Oh," She said completely shocked. Her body reacted before her brain could catch up and it took her a moment to register what the feeling was inside of her chest. Hurt.

Chris rushed to explain himself "It's just. My parents are pissed and your dad is pissed. I just don't want to make things worse by sneaking around behind their backs."

Sarah took a deep breath and tried now to cry. He was breaking up with her. Well not really. Technically in order to break up with someone you have to be dating them in the first place. They were never officially dated. And now they never would. He is stopping anything between them before it even began.

At that moment a Cheerio (who looked dangerously like the one that was in Caleb's room the other night) walked by and gave Chris a flirty smile. Sarah's eyes went down into a glare. She was seeing red.

"You know what you are so full of shit," She said to him before turning to walk away.

Chris followed her and jump in front of her to stop her walking. "Wait. You're taking this the wrong way. I care about you. A lot. I just don't want either of us to get into more trouble."

Sarah shook her head, refusing to believe him. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute and she needed to get out of there before she broke down crying in the middle of the hallway and really embarrassed herself.

She closed her eyes so she didn't have to look at him. "You don't care about me. You care about getting a piece of ass." She finally opened her eyes again to glare at him. "I guess it was taking too long to get into my pants so you just decided to move on huh?"

Chris took in a sharp break at her words and she could see that she clearly hurt him. "Why would you even say shit like that? You know I don't care about that stuff." He let out sigh and pleaded with her to understand. "I'm just trying to do what's best for us,"

Sarah looked him in the eyes and couldn't break her gaze. Her heart broke just a little bit more when she saw what he was saying was true. She swallowed the lump in her throat and willed her tears not to fall for just a few moments longer. "How is this what's best for us? You're ending this relationship before there is even an us,"

"I don't want to have to sneak around anymore. It sucks having to have secret meetings at the movies and stolen hugs in front of your house. I want more for us and you deserve more. So until this shit calms down… I'm willing to wait…because you're worth it,"

He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder and she recoiled. That was the last straw. She needed to get out of her immediately before she had a complete and total melt down. She didn't know what to believe. For all she knew he really was doing this for them or he was just a good liar and would have a girlfriend by the end of next week. Either way she couldn't look at him anymore. She backed away slowing form him before finally tell him "Don't ever talk to me again," She choked out and finally turned to briskly walk into the girl's bathroom.

She was thankful that no one was in there. That would have made things ten times worst. She didn't mind that she didn't have many friends. She didn't mind that she fell into the social median of high school. (Not popular. Not a dork. Stuck in the middle). But she had always survived by showing people that she didn't care. She was above most of the stupid high school dramas. When they looked at her they respected her mind and her strength.

It would have sucked to lose that reputation because that afternoon she spent the whole lunch period crying her eyes out and she skipped her last couple classes. In fact she didn't leave the bathroom until it was time for glee. When she entered the room she didn't look around because she didn't want to see the faces of the people in the room. She just stared at the piano and played the music till it was time to go.

* * *

Caleb slammed Chris into the locker with so much force that it shook. He told his dad he had to run back to his locker to grab book he left but really he hunted down his best friend.

"What the fuck did you do?" He asked forcefully.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Chris said before Caleb pulled him back and slammed him into the lockers again. "Ow, fuck man that's really starting to hurt."

"What the fuck did you do to my sister? She missed like three classes and was like a zombie in Glee today."

"And you think it's because of me?" Caleb pulled him back and was about to slam him into the lockers again. "Okay dude, fuck, just let me go okay?"

Caleb hesitated and released his friend. "Talk"

"I told her that maybe we should take a break for a while." Chris told him. Caleb looked up and gave his friend a hard glare. "It's not like that. It's just…I know she's in a shit load of trouble after yesterday and I am too and I just don't wanna cause more problems for her dude."

"And this isn't about some other chick?"

"What? Fuck no. I'm not playboy like you"

Caleb just glared at his friend. "You know right now I'm tore between hitting you and helping you"

Chris gulped and closed his eyes. "Just make it quick man. I gotta help Grandma plant the rice," He sat for a moment with his eyes closed tightly shut as he waited for the impact of his friends hit. But after a moment he peeked his eye open to see Caleb laughing.

"Plant the rice? Really? Is that what your punishment is?"

"Yeah I'm supposed to be spending more time with grandma and learning how to 'conduct myself with honor' or some shit."

Caleb laughed a little bit more before he realized he was still gripping Chris against the lockers. He let him go and backed away. "So man it's just-"

"I know," Chris cut him off. "She's your sister and I screwed up. It's just…I don't know what else to do."

"Well definitely not that!" Caleb told him. "Look you like Sarah and Sarah likes you. You guys could have figured out all of that other bull shit later. But right now she's like fucking dawn of the dead cause she feels like the only guy that she ever really like doesn't like her back." Chris raised an eyebrow to him and wondered how he got so intuitive. "Hey, shut the fuck up. I got a sister and a mom. I know some shit okay?"

He just nodded and sighed. "So, what do I do oh wise love Gru"

"You man the fuck up, call her and tell her that you're a fucking idiot that cares too much about her. Then you tell her that you're gonna fucking make it work." Chris nodded at his friend advice. Caleb looked him in the eye and glared. He placed his hand on his shoulder and pushed him back into the locker. "But I swear to God if you hurt her again, best friend or not, I'm kicking your ass. Got it?"

Chris just nodded. "Got it"

"Good," Caleb said patting his cheek. "Now I gotta go before Sergeant pain-in-the-ass finds other ways to ruin my life." Chris looked at him confuse. "Don't ask." He said and he backed away from his friend and started to retreat from the hallway. "Call her!" He yelled over his shoulder.

Something dawned on Chris "I don't have her new number!" He yelled back hoping his friend would hear him.

"Yes, you do" He heard before Caleb disappeared out the doors. He looked around confused until he looked down and saw Caleb had dropped a note on the ground by his feet that had not only her number but a message underneath.

'Call her asshole'

He sometimes wondered the pros and cons of being in love with your best friend's sister. Getting slammed into lockers and threated was a con. But this was definitely a pro.

* * *

Puck stood in the kitchen making dinner for the night and thinking over shit for the day. The dumbasses in boot camp were upstairs trying to finish up the extra work he convinced their teachers to give them, so all was quiet in the house and he could really think shit over.

While it was pretty funny to get them up in the morning and embarrass them at school, he wondered if this whole badass boot camp thing was too harsh on them. Sarah seemed down that afternoon and Caleb seemed…well Caleb was still pretty normal. It was really Sarah that raised an alarm. She looked sad all Glee practice and barely spoke 3 sentences since they've been home. He tried to ask her what was wrong in the car but she just said that she was tired and stressed from school.

Something was going on. Maybe the pressure of badass boot camp was stressing her out or some shit. That didn't really make sense cause he's seen her put up with a lot worst shit (have you seen who her brother was) and she doesn't even bat an eyelash at the shit. But if it wasn't this then what the fuck else could it be.

Plus shit with Rachel. He didn't want to think about it but he couldn't stop himself all day. He was pissed at her but not just pissed, he like really fucking hurt by her reaction. Who the fuck sits there and acts like that when their fucking kids get arrested? Not Rachel Puckerman that's for damn sure! And maybe that was the problem. Since she's been in Chicago the past two weeks she's been acting less and less like herself.

Now don't get him wrong he wanted her to go after her dreams and reach for the stars and all that other Disney bullshit but he didn't want her to change into someone else to do it. Then again maybe he was just so fucking pissed now a days and he missed her so much that he was channeling his aggression at the situation towards her. Misplaced anger or some shit. Whatever he really needed to stop listening to Dr. Phil on the way home from work.

He finished up the steak, called the kids down for dinner boot camp style (whistle) and sat at the table waiting for their reactions. The first thing he noticed was that Sarah seemed to look a lot better. Maybe she really was just tired.

The teens entered the kitchen not knowing what to expect. It all seemed pretty normal and it smelled good. Maybe their dad was gonna go a little easier on them. They made their way over to the table and sat with their dad who already started eating. Caleb looked at his dad's plate and then looked back at the food on the table confused.

"Um…where the hell's our steak?" Caleb asked.

"Language" Puck told him. Caleb just rolled his eyes and waited as his father took another big bite. "Dumb asses don't get steak," Puck told them playfully. " Bad asses get steak. Dumbasses get grilled cheese," He pointed over to the plate of sandwiches in the middle of the table.

They both groaned but started loading their plates with the sandwiches. After a few bites Puck decided to get some conversation in.

"So how was school today?"

"Okay," They both mumbles.

He sighed and rolled their eyes. "Just cause you're in boot camp doesn't mean you can't fucking talk to me" He daid to both of them but was looking at Sarah. He'd always had an open relationship with his kids. Hell, he was the one that picked Sarah up from camp and took her to the store the summer she got her first period. It was awkward as shit but they survived it.

Sarah caught his hint and just sighed in defeat. "I just had a shitty day okay,"

Puck shrugged. "Fair enough,"

"Um hello!" Caleb said. "She just said shit. Aren't you gonna call her on it?"

"Really?" Sarah said turning to her brother.

"Hey, if I can't say hell you shouldn't be allowed to say shit. Fair is fair"

"Yeah well you don't have to call me out in the middle of dinner with Sergeant Psycho sitting right there,"

"I didn't call you out. I called the langue out"

Puck was about to jump in and stop them before they continued on with their stupid argument but his words were cut off by the sound of a phone ringing and it wasn't his.

Both the teens stopped and stared in horror at the sound of the go-phone going off. This was their worst nightmare. They stared at each other as the phone kept ringing and tried to figure out who's it was. Caleb looked down at his pants excepting to see his pocket ringing before he remembered, he left it upstairs. He looked back at Sarah who realized at the same time that it was hers as well. Thankful the phone stopped ringing and they slowly turned to face their dad.

His face was red, his jaw was set and that little vein, which only ever comes out when Caleb does something really stupid, was making an appearance. In short he was pissed. And glaring. And it was strangely quiet which only made him ten times scarier. He opened his mouth to no doubt tell them how much trouble they were in but fate decided to kick them in the balls and the phone started ringing again.

This time Sarah quickly tried to silence it but Puck just held out his hand for the phone. She gave a nervous glance to her brother before handing it over to her father. Puck hit the receive button and put the phone to his ear.

"Look, don't hang up okay. I wrote this out so I wouldn't mess it up and I just want you to hear all of it before you decide you never want to speak to me again," Chris began pleading into the phone. "I'm a complete and utter dumb ass and I understand if you never want to talk to me again. I didn't mean to hurt you with the shit that I said earlier today. But fuck, Sarah I care about you a lot and I just think all this sneaking around is just going to get us in more trouble. I want to be able to hold your hand or kiss you and not be afraid of your dad catching us. I just want to be with you and I'm sorry if I made you feel like I didn't. That all…." He stopped talking and was growing concerned by silence. That was the most they've ever talked about their relationship and little did he know that she didn't hear a single word of it. "…um Sarah?"

"No Chris. Guess again," Puck said back to the boy with controlled anger. Sarah closed her eyes tight and wished for the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Caleb slapped his hand on his head. At this rate he won't be seeing driving or pop tarts till next year.

"Oh shit!" Chris said on the other line. He had no clue what to say and in his panic he hung up.

Puck sat staring at the cheap prepaid phone. Well, at least that answered his questions. He wasn't going too hard on them he was going too easy. He'd have to rectify that shit immediately.

* * *

Rachel stood outside the rehearsal room door trying to prepare herself. So far she has dazzled and dined with the best in this business but now was proving time. It was their first rehearsal; well technically it was a read through. It was the Sunday before their first official rehearsal but it was the first time that she would be meeting her fellow cast mates. There had been a cast dinner the night before that she had been excited about attending but at the last minute Jesse pulled her off to yet another boring dinner with some important officials.

She was worried that her lack of appearance would cause problems but he told her not to think about it and that most of the cast probably wasn't even there. She wondered if that was true or not but pretended it was for her own sanity's sake.

The past few days had been rough for Rachel. Her vocal coach trained her extra hard to make sure she was in top shape for meeting the cast and director. The chorographer was the same way and made sure to drill every step into Rachel's head so she could quite possibly do it in her sleep. But those things were to be expected. She could handle that.

What she couldn't handle was Noah's behavior. He still answered when she called or texted him but he was distant and cold. He was still angry with her and she had no clue how to fix it. She had tried to talk it out with him a few times but it always ended up with her doing the talking and Noah sitting in silence on the other line. What made it worst was when she'd ask a question about home or kids and he'd give her a vague answer and didn't bother to go into the details.

But most of all she missed her husband and her friend. She missed talking to him and laughing with him. She missed him teasing her or him pretending he doesn't care as much as he does. She missed his smile and his eyes. She missed his hands on her body and how he could always do wonder and amazing things to her. She missed him and from the way things have been the past couple of days it didn't sound like he missed her much at all.

Rachel shook her head and tried to shake those thoughts from her mind. Now was not the time to be thinking of home or Noah. Right now she needed to focus. She took a couple of calming breaths and gripped her script a bit tighter.

A hand dropped on her shoulder and she looked up to the face Jesse. "You wouldn't happen to be nervous would you?" he asked her playfully.

Rachel cleared her throat determined not to show any sign of weakness. "Of course not. I was just preparing self to make a dramatic entrance."

"You know you're a great actress but a horrible liar," He shook his head at her.

"Well I can't be too bad if you're convinced that I actually like you," She said playfully and they both took a chance to giggle at her little jib at him.

Jesse ran his hand up and down her arm. "Relax. You're going to be great. You're Rachel Berry and you're a star," He told her.

She gave him an appreciative smile as he reached behind her and opened the door. "Show time." He whispered in her ear.

When Rachel walked into the room all conversations stopped. Everyone turned to look at her and while she didn't see any contempt in their eyes she also didn't see any friendliness either. She took a big breath and put on her best smile.

Jesse walked up behind her and lead her over to the tables that were set up for the read though. He was the perfect gentleman and pulled out her chair for her. She sat down a little frazzled that the conversation in the room still hadn't picked back up. Everyone was still staring at her.

Jesse didn't miss a beat though. He calmly turned to the gentleman sitting next to her and made the first set of introductions.

"Clinton, great to see you again. How was the flight?" He asked.

The man tore his eyes off Rachel and shook Jesse's hand. "Long. As all flights are."

Jesse chuckled with charm and smiled down at the man. "That they are. Well let me introduce you to the fabulously wonderful and amazingly talented Rachel Berry," He placed a hand on her shoulder. "She missed the dinner last night because Lloyd just insisted on meeting her before flying out today but I'm hand delivering her to you."

Rachel put on her dazzling smile and extended her hand. " Hello. It's such an honor to finally meet you," Clinton didn't take her hand or smile back at her. He did give her a questioning look at her comment though. "Well…you're Clinton Tyler. You have 3 Tony awards and have directed the top 6 Broadway shows of the past decade...and I probably sound like an idiot now," Rachel said with her still extended and her cheeks turning slightly red in embarrassment.

Clinton finally took his hand out and shook Rachel's. "I don't hate you," He told her looking in her eyes to make sure she understood him. She didn't. "I don't like you. But I don't hate you,"

"Oh," She said glancing at Jesse in confusion. "Thank…you?"

"With Clinton that's as close as you get" Jesse said to clam her nerves.

Clinton snatched his hand back. "Well now that that's settled let's see if you actually have the talent to play Maria or if you're just wasting my time." He said harshly before turning away from her and clapping his hands to get the attention of the rest of the cast. He honestly didn't need to seeing as they were all pretty much staring in their direction anyway.

Jesse bent down to whisper in her ear. "I have to go run a few errands but I'll be back," She quickly looked up at him in panic. He was leaving her to the wolves? Right now Jesse was her life line! How could he leave her like this? He saw the look of panic on her face and whispered again, "Don't worry. I'll be back soon. In the mean time you can handle this. Just be that girl that I bet back in the music store okay?" He said rubbing the back of his hand across her cheek. She gave him a small smile and nod.

Jesse was right. She could handle this. After all she survived high school, which was really in retrospect four years of torment, jealously and judgment. If could do that, surely she could face this room of professionals and show them her true talent.

If only it were that simple. She managed to get through the read through without any major difficulties. She found the actor that was playing Tony was sitting on the directors other side. He didn't look at her while reading the lines and didn't offer any sort of friendly gesture. When they got to a song in the script the director had them sing with the rehearsal pianist. Rachel sat in awe of the talent that was in the room with her. The males all had such rich voices and the women sang so beautifully.

They finally reached Rachel's first song and she was nervous to say the least but she refused to let them see it. Instead she closed her eyes, thought of Noah and belted out 'Tonight' just like she's done for the past two weeks since being here is Chicago. When Tony joined in with her in perfect harmony he threw her off for a moment but she quickly regained it. She couldn't even focus on how wonderful they sounded together because she was so determined to prove that she deserved to be here. When they finished there was a stunned silence in the room and Rachel hesitated before opening her eyes.

There were mixed reactions from those in the room. Some looked disappointed that she could actually sing while others just looked angry at her for showing off. There were a few that offered her small smiles. Clinton didn't smile but he did give her a quick nod of approval before commenting on the fact that it was her line next. She ducked her head down in embarrassment and picked up her line.

The rest of the read through proceed like that. She'd throw everything she had into all her songs and made sure not to miss a single cue. By the end she felt proud of herself. After all being in a room full of such prestigious professionals and still managing to shine through was no easy task. Clinton gave them notes and told them the schedule for the next few days before dismissing them.

As everyone gathered their things together to leave Clinton turned to her. "You're not bad" He told her. Rachel's face lit up. "You need a lot of work," Her face fell. "But you seem like you got what it takes to make it Ohio"

Rachel cleared her throat. "Um…actually it's Rachel."

He just stared at her blankly. "I'll see you tomorrow Ohio," He said before getting up and turning toward the piano where Jesse sat with the musical director. She didn't even notice him come in.

While he was busy Rachel saw this as a great opportunity to get to meet her fellow cast mates. She'd start with the actor playing Tony naturally because if she wanted to give a convincing portrayal of falling in love with this man; it might help to at least know his name.

She made her way over to him as he gathered his script. "You were really amazing," She said with a friendly smile.

He looked up at her and sneered. "I know."

"Oh," She said taken about a little by his comment but she tried again. "I'm Rachel by the way." She stuck out his hand for him to shake. He didn't shake it. He didn't even acknowledge it. She cleared her throat. "And you are…?"

"Someone far more talented and successful than you." He told her as he finished placing his things in his bag.

"Excuse me," She asked trying not to be rude but she couldn't fathom why this guy was being such a…a…asshole.

He slung his bag over his shoulder before turning to her. "Look I get that your Jesse's new toy and he wants to show you off but some of use actually have careers that are on the line with this show. So stop pretending like you actually deserve to be here cause you don't. As far as I'm concerned we suffer through this workshop with you before the real show goes up and we get a real Maria." With that he brushed past her out the door.

Rachel stood there shocked and hurt by his words. She felt the familiar prickle behind her eyes as they watered but refused to cry. One of the other actresses in the room. The woman playing Rita walked over to her.

"He's just pissed he wasn't Clinton's first choice for Tony." She told her. " I'm Dora by the way."

Rachel nodded and shook her hand. Maybe she could make a new friend here. " I'm Rachel. Rachel Berry."

"Nice to finally meet you Rachel." Dora said pulling her hand back. "Don't let Frank get to you. I mean even though we all agree that what he said is true, he doesn't have to be such a prick about it."

Rachel blinked her eyes several times trying to understand.

"We all know you're fucked Jesse to get the part." She told her bluntly "And while I admit I've done that before myself, This is the biggest revival of West Side Story since 2009 and he just placed all of our fates in the hands of a washed up high school glee coach. So you'll excuse us if we all kind of hate you." Rachel was using every ounce of strength in her not to cry. She would not do it. If she wouldn't cry when someone threw an icy frozen drink in her face every day then she refused to cry in front of these cruel people she would be forced to work with for the next several months. Dora put a hand on her shoulder "My advice to you: try not to screw this up," She gave her one last look before turning away to talk to another cast mate who no doubt hated her as well.

Rachel couldn't take it anymore. She had her fill of meet and greets for the day and now she just really needed to get out of there. She made a bee line for the door and walked out without a backwards glance towards anyone. What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

What did we get ourselves into? Caleb thought as he brought the paint brush down in even strokes across the wall. To say his dad reacted badly to the phone thing was putting it lightly. Of course because he caught Sarah with her phone he automatically assumed Caleb had one too and he took them both but not before explaining to them that they just moved from being dumb asses to be really dumb asses. They didn't really know what it meant at the time but they figured it wasn't good.

And right they were. He woke them up the next more at5:30am instead of 6, made them do even more exercises, they cleaned the bathrooms and vacuumed the house all before getting ready for school. When they finally did get ready, he didn't make them toast like he did the previous morning. Instead he just explained that badasses got pop tarts, dumbasses got toast but really dumbasses had to make it themselves. They were barely pulling it from the toaster as they ran out the door afraid he would leave them.

Things should have gotten better from there right? Wrong! Turns out he had somehow managed to bring badass boot camp into every aspect of their lives. Teachers were calling on him more in class and giving him extra homework. Coach was going twice as hard on him in practices then she normally would. Even the parents of the kids he was giving voice lessons too (who he could normally charm into giving him a decent tip) were complaining and being more demanding. In short his dad made sure that their lives sucked.

Saturday morning Puck woke them up at 5:30 am again (because really dumb asses don't get a weekend) and had them detail clean every aspect of the house. He even pulled out a ladder and made them clean out the gutters (you have no clue how nasty that shit is.) Caleb's only hope and the thing that he kept telling himself and his sister was that once their house was clean it was gonna be harder for their dad to find shit for them to do. Boy, he couldn't have been more wrong.

They woke up at 5:30 again on Sunday, cooked breakfast for themselves (which really sucked cause normally on the weekends dad made pancakes and shit) and headed over to the home depot to get some supplies. For a second they feared that he would make them paint the whole house but got more confused when he was driving away from Lima. When they were about 10 minutes from Auntie Satan and Uncle Finns house they realized it was much much worst.

They spent the first half of the day catering to their pregnant aunt's every need. This included running to the store twice for a lemon meringue pie and a chocolate cream pie when she realized that lemons made her nauseous. Then they were put to work cleaning the Hudson house. When he finished his chore list he tried to take a break and sat down on the floor while his dad and Uncle Finn played Call of Duty.

"You still pissed at me," His dad said not taking his eyes off the screen.

His uncle sighed and shook his head. "Naw man. I just…I don't get it."

"You don't have to get it,"

There were a few moments of silence and they continued to kill the people the screen.

"I just don't want you to hurt Rachel, or the kids….or yourself."

"I won't," His dad told him simply. That seemed enough for Uncle Finn cause the conversation dropped off after that. At first he went unnoticed but then he dad caught sight of him and paused the game.

"What are doing?" He asked.

"Taking a break?" He asked hopefully

"No you don't. Badasses get breaks. Dumbasses get breaks. Really Dumbasses keep working until their father tells them to stop."

"Dad Come on! I already finished my list." HE tried to argue.

His dad turned to his Uncle Finn "You got something else for him to do?"

He chuckled, looked down and pretended to think.

"Uncle Finn please," He put all his hopes on his uncle. Surely he would save his favorite nephew from the cruel and unusual punishment his father was putting him through. But after a moment he spoke up that the nursery needed to be primed for painting and that he could get started on that. Traitor.

And that was how he found himself painting in the room on a Sunday afternoon. Granted he'll admit that he'd rather be doing this than be doing what Sarah was doing. She was trying to organize Auntie Satan's closet and create a master list of shit for the baby. This wouldn't be too bad if Satan herself wasn't breathing over her neck and berating her for doing stuff wrong. Then she'd start speaking in Spanish and lecturing her about being a dumbass and not ruining her life (She was bad ass boot camps number one supporter). Still as he continued to paint the room he had no choice but think about what they had done and just what the fuck they got themselves into.

* * *

Puck pulled his shirt off and climbed into bed. They'd gotten back from Finn's place about a couple hours ago and the kids had just enough time to finish their homework and make themselves dinner before passing out (they knew he was gonna wake them up early again.) He leaned back on the pillow and sighed in content. All this kick ass parenting was hard work.

His phone rang and he groaned before recognizing the ringtone.

_Sweet Caroline good times never seem so good._

"Hello?" He answered not even bothering to open his eyes.

"Hi," Rachel said and he could hear the tears in her voice even over the phone. "So, I know we're kind of mad at each other right now but can we put that on hold and pretend like we're not for the next few minutes or so because I really need someone to talk to. And I really want that person to be you." She said breaking down.

Puck opened his eyes in concern. "Shit Rach, what happened?" He sat up a little in the bed. "Did that douche touch you cause I swear to God Rachel if he did anything I'm coming to Chicago right now and tearing his ass apart limb from fucking limb."

"It's not Jesse," She said swallowing down a few of her tears so she could talk to him clearly. "He's been…wonderful. Really."

"Then what the fuck are you crying for," He asked and ignored the way she just said that Jesse St. jerk-off was wonderful.

"It's just….they hate me. They all hate me," She told him.

"Who the fuck hates you?"

"Everyone! The cast and crew and while the director specifically told me he didn't hate me, he did make a point to tell me that he didn't like me." She told him. "They all think I'm here because I slept with Jesse and are enraged at my mere presence. I've never felt so humiliated or embarrassed in my whole life." She cried to him.

Puck sighed. "I'm sure that's not true," He told her in a comforting voice.

"Yes it is! They told me Noah. They told me they hate," She argued.

"Oh no. That part might be true." He told her. "I mean come on Rachel when have not had people hate you because of how amazingly talented you are. I was referring to the part when you said that was the most humiliating and embarrassing moment of your life. We both know that's now true."

She was quiet on the other line. He was trying to distract her and she knew it. "Noah…" She started to say but he jumped in.

"I mean there was the time Brittany puked on you in front of the whole school. Then there was the time you got your first period at temple and walked around with the huge blood stain on the back of your dress until rabbi Sanburg saw it and told my mother."

Rachel closed her eyes and cringed. The mere thought of those moments still made her cheeks burn red with embarrassment.

"There's the time your dads walked in on us doing it in your dorm room that weekend they came up to surprise you. OR the time my mom walked in on us right after Caleb was born and was looking for more diapers before babysitting him for the night."

She was still quiet as those memories washed over her and she remember she wanted to hide away in a cave somewhere and never face her fathers or his mother again.

"And let's not forget the first time some douche with daddy issues threw a slushy at your face on the first day of school. I'm pretty sure that moment takes the cake of embarrassing moments."

"It does," She said to him quietly before sighing in defeat. "Okay, so maybe today wasn't the most embarrassing moment of my life but it was still pretty traumatic. What am I going to do?"

"Babe, the way I see it you can't be anything but yourself. And if we're talking truth here that's all you need. You've always been driven and outgoing; don't let a bunch of whiney ass wipes punk you into bitching out on something you want"

Rachel giggled a little. "I'm not sure you should be calling professional actors and award winning directors ass wipes."

"It was either ass wipes or cock sucking whores"

They both laughed at that one before Rachel spoke up. "I just haven't felt that small in a really long time. It was a fight to not break down crying in the middle of that rehearsal room."

"I'm glad you didn't. They're not worth your tears babe. Fuck'em. I don't give a shit if they think you deserve to be there or not. You know you deserve to be so fuck'em. Go out there and be the best one on that damn stage." He told her. He was kinda pissed that these theater people were acting like such assholes to Rachel. That shits not cool.

She wiped away a few of her tears that still lingered on her cheeks. "I guess I forgot how much it sucks being the underdog," Puck groaned at her words. "What?"

"Rach do you know how long it's been? You can't say shit like 'suck' and 'under' while I'm laying half naked in bed." Rachel just chuckled at him. God she missed this. "I'm serious. Cause all I'm think about now is you sucking before you're under me," Rachel started laughing more and felt the stress from the day fade into the background. Noah always knew how to make her feel better. "Shit! Now little puck wants to come out and play. You see what you do woman. I hope you're happy"

At that Rachel laughed uncontrollably. She knew he was only half teasing and if she were there he probably would have shut her up by now with a kiss. She finally settled down and took a few deep breaths. "I needed that," she told him

"Yeah, well right now I need a little something too if you know what I mean."

She started to laugh again. "I miss you," She blurted out.

With that all the joking and laughter stopped. It was tense for a few moments. Both of them trying to read the others thoughts which didn't really go over too well over the phone.

"It's hard to believe it's only been three weeks. Seems longer with all the shit that's gone on since then"

"I'm gonna come home," She told him quickly

"What? Rach no. We've been through this-" He tried to protest but she stopped him.

"Not for good. But for a visit. I miss you and the kids so much. I just wanna be around you guys." She paused trying to gauge his reaction. When he didn't protest she continued. "Sarah's birthday is coming up in a few weeks. I can come home that weekend and we can celebrate together as a family."

Puck was trying to keep his cool. He missed Rachel, hell yeah he did but he didn't want to get his or the kids hopes up if she ended up not coming. "Really?" He asked her daring to hope.

"Really," She confirmed. "What do you think?"

"I think that sounds great," He told her. And he couldn't stop himself from feeling the sense of relief and excitement that was going through him as he said it. Soon. He was going to see Rachel soon.

* * *

Chris shifted nervously from foot to foot as the choir room started to fill for Glee practice. It had been a week since the whole phone mix-up and it seemed like nothing was going his way. While he was really grateful to the Asian God for his Uncle Puck not flat out punching him in the face. Chris was always nervous and watchful at the glares and stares that the man gave him. He hadn't been able to even talk to Sarah because the second he got close to her it seemed like there was Uncle Puck to interrupt. It also didn't help that Sarah was still avoiding him. She hadn't heard a single word he confessed that night and he seriously doubted his favorite uncle would have passed the message along.

"Dude relax," Caleb came up behind him. "You're gonna fine just follow the plan."

Chris nodded gratefully to his best friend. He'd talked to him two days ago about his Sarah problem and how she was avoiding him and Caleb helped him come up with the perfect plan to not only tell her how he feels but to get her to listen. It was a great plan and Chris was really fucking grateful that Caleb even had the time to help him cause he's seen and heard about the shit Uncle Puck was making them do in badass boot camp. But he's been thinking about backing out of it since this morning. So many things could go wrong. First Sarah could still be pissed and storm out of the room. Second Uncle Puck could go into protective father mode and start beating the shit out of him. Third…well he didn't really get to a third reason because reasons one and two were good enough for him. The bell rang and he knew his time was up.

Puck stood in front of the group of kids. "Okay today we are learning about AC/DC the fucking pioneers of heavy metal."

Chris who was still standing in the back of the room raised his hand. Puck looked and him and nodded for him to speak. "Um… I have something that I've been working on that I'd like to share." He said.

"O….kay?" Puck said confused.

Chris made his way down to the front of the class followed by Caleb who have him a reassuring pat on the back. "You got this man," Caleb told him before making his way over to where the piano was. He looked at his sister who looked just as confused as their dad before telling her. "Beat it"

"Excuse me?" She questioned.

"Go take a seat. I'm playing this one"

She got up even more confused and took a seat in the middle front row. Perfect spot for her Caleb thought.

Chris cleared his throat and looked out at the class. "So last week I did something really fucking stupid and hurt someone that I care about a lot. I didn't mean to but I guess shit just got lost in translation cause I was just trying to say-" Caleb cleared his throat before his friend went on a tangent that ultimately screwed him over. Chris stopped and looked at him. "Right thanks," He said before looking back at the class. "Anyway the point is this song is for that person I hurt. I really hope they like it"

He looked back at Caleb and give him a nod. Caleb started playing the piano and the rest of the band slowly joined in. At first Sarah didn't recognize the song but by the second bar she caught on. It was Crush by David Archuleta.

Chris closed his eyes. too nervous to see the group staring back at him. Usually he didn't get nervous singing but this time he wasn't just singing he was telling someone how he really felt.

_I hung up the phone tonight_

_Something happened for the first time_

_Deep inside it was a rush, what a rush_

He started to feel more confident. So far no has hit him or slapped him. That's good right.

_Cause the possibility_

_That you would ever feel the same way_

_About me, just too much, just too much_

He started peaking his eyes open a little. And saw everyone enjoying him.

_Why do I keep running from the truth?_

_All I ever think about is you_

_You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized_

_And I just got to know_

He gathered enough confidence to finally look at the one person that mattered. She sat in her chair with her mouth slightly opened in surprise.

_Do you ever think when you're all alone_

_All that we can be, where this thing can go?_

_Am I crazy or falling in love?_

_Is it really just another crush?_

He gave her a small smile and was grateful when she returned it.

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_

_Are you holding back like the way I do?_

_Cause I've tried and tried to walk away_

_But I know this crush ain't going away-ay-ay_

_Going away-ay-ay_

He started to get into the song a bit and did a smooth dance step that made her giggle before the start of the second verse.

_Has it ever crossed your mind_

_When we're hanging, spending time girl?_

_Are we just friends? Is there more? Is there more?_

He mustered up his courage and started to slowly walk to her while singing. It felt like they were the only two people in the room.

_See it's a chance we've gotta take_

_Cause I believe that we can make this into_

_Something that will last, last forever, forever!_

Caleb joined him in the harmonies on the chorus. While he sang he walked towards piano to give a grateful smile to his friend.

_Do you ever think when you're all alone_

_All that we could be, where this thing could go?_

_Am I crazy or falling in love?_

_Is it really just another crush?_

He looked at Sarah from across the room and was happy to see that she only had eyes for him.

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_

_Are you holding back like the way I do?_

_Cause I've tried and tried to walk away_

_But I know this crush ain't going away-ay-ay_

_Going away-ay-ay_

He started to walk to the center of the room again.

_Why do I keep running from the truth?_

_All I ever think about is you_

_You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized_

_And I just got to know_

He closed his eyes as he held out the note and threw everything he had into it. When he opened them again he walked to stand in front of Sarah who was grinning at him wide.

_Do you ever think when you're all alone_

_All that we could be, where this thing could go?_

_Am I crazy or falling in love?_

_Is it really just another crush?_

He reached out, took her hand and put it over his heart while he sang to her.

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_

_Are you holding back like the way I do?_

_Cause I've tried and tried to walk away_

_But I know this crush ain?t going away-ay-ay_

_This crush ain't going away-ay-ay_

Chris dropped on his knees so that he was at eye level with her to sing the final line.

_Going away_

_Going away-ay-ay_

_Going away-ay-ay_

Caleb played the final notes of the song as the class broke out into scattered applause. Chris really didn't pay attention to any of that. He only paid attention to Sarah.

"I'm a fucking idiot and I'm really sorry." He told her. " I care about you a lot and I don't want to lose you." He told her.

She smiled at him. "You won't." She told him before throwing herself in his arms in a big hug.

It was a picture perfect moment.

Or it was until they looked over and noticed Puck glaring daggers at Chris. Sarah untangled herself from him and took a step way but continued to grin like crazy. The room got quiet as he made his way over to them and everyone was anticipating his next move.

"Everyone out." He said not taking his eyes off Chris.

Courtney of course was the first to protest as the rest of the room started to shuffle out. "But what about-"

"You heard the man King Koopa," Caleb said coming up behind her. "Out,"

She rolled her eyes and glared at Caleb but started heading towards the door.

When the room was virtually empty he looked at Sarah who hadn't bothered to leave. "You too." He told her.

Sarah just held her ground for a moment but decided she was on a losing end of this battle. She gave Chris's shoulder and reassuring squeeze before she walked out the room.

If ever there was time that Chris wanted to piss his pants it was right now. He was left alone in the choir room with his Uncle puck after confessing his undying love to his daughter.

He saw his uncle try to take a calming breath. "I don't know what game you're trying to pull…" He started.

"I'm not trying to pull anything," Chris spoke up surprised by the fact that he could even speak when he was so paralyzed with fear. But he figured if he said that much he might as well go with it. "Look, Mr…Uncle…Puck…Sir…" He was confused about the right way to address him. "I care about your daughter very much and I have nothing but the highest fear and respect for you."

"You respect me so much you've been sneaking around my back with her?"

"No! Yes!" Chris said. "I mean it wasn't like that. We just wanted to see each other more and hang out." He tried to explain.

"Hang out so you can get into her pants." He told him bluntly.

"No!" Chris rushed to say. "No it's not like that with her. We're friends and we talk and shit but I'm not trying to get into her…I mean I don't like her just for...we haven't even-"

Puck cut him off. "Cut the bullshit. I'm a guy and I know what the fuck is running through your head when you look at her okay. It might start as talking but talking turns to fucking real quick when the mood is right."

"You don't understand-"

"No, you don't understand." He said as he walked closer to Chris and threaten him. "Sarah's not like the other fast girls around here okay? She's smart and talented and she's going places with her life. And I'll be damned if I let that get ruined by some horny night with a high school crush. Got it?"

Chris nodded. Too afraid to do anything else. Puck backed away a bit and turned to go let the others in. Chris thought it was over but before he knew it he felt his feet move forward and words flew out of his mouth.

"I'd like to ask you for your approval"

Puck stopped dead in his tracks and turned slowly to face the boy. "What?"

"I'm sorry we were sneaking around. I knew it was wrong and it shouldn't have happen. I'm also sorry about the other night. She was grounded and I should have respected that. But sir, I care a lot about her and I don't think I can just walk away from this relationship I have with her." He took a huge gulp. "So I'd like to formally ask you for permission to date your daughter. I'll treat her with respect and care and won't let us be in situations where we could fall to…temptation," He finished lamely. It didn't look like his Uncle was buying it. "I'm just asking you give me a chance." He pleaded

Puck watched him for several moments and for a second Chris dared to hope that he actually broke through to him. "No," He told him finally. Chris felt his dreams crushed. "You're my nephew and Caleb's best friend. I know you're a good kid and you really believe every fucking thing you're telling me. But I don't want you dating my daughter."

He turned his back and headed to the door again.

"But if you just-" Chris tried to plead

"You asked me the question and I gave you my answer. This conversation is over."

Chris felt a little numb with disappointment as the room filled back up. He knew everyone was looking at him, probably trying to see if Puck beat him up or something.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked coming up to him.

"Yeah." He told her. "I'm fine" He lied. Truth be told he felt anything but.

* * *

Rachel walked into rehearsal that morning with her head held high. She thought about the situation long and hard and decided that Noah was right. It didn't matter if these people thought she was talented or not because she knew she deserved to be there. In addition to that he also reminded her that this wasn't the first time she's faced adversity due to her talent. There were countless times in high school when even her own team mates resented her because she was so extraordinary. If she could survive that she could certainly survive this.

The next few weeks of rehearsal were difficult to say the least but Rachel pushed through them. She was determined to not let the opinions of a few people discourage her from her dreams. In that time she also found that not everyone hated her. After that first read through she proved to some that she talent and (while some still kept their distances) a few people actually started to befriend her.

Those small victories with those that liked her were nothing compared to the ones that were against her. Dora made a point to call Rachel out on her every flaw and often tried to upstage Rachel in the blocking. Frank (much to Rachel's disappointment) was actually a very talented actor. He would sing wonderfully and delivered amazing speeches to Rachel with complete convictions but the second Clinton called scene he was glaring at her and telling her to stay out of his way.

Still through all of the added drama Rachel was enjoying herself. She felt so alive and enjoyed the challenge. She pushed herself harder every day and made sure she never missed a single cue. She was the first person to arrive at rehearsals and the last one to leave. But at night when she had her conversations with Noah, she would feel that familiar pang in her heart from missing him and the kids. She was counting down the days until she would see them again.

"I'm going to be gone this weekend," Rachel told Jesse during dinner the Wednesday before she was supposed to leave. Sarah's birthday was on Saturday and she couldn't wait to start spending time with her family.

Jesse looked up from his salad. She still saw him quite frequently. He popped in rehearsals to check on the cast (mainly her) progress and always insisted on taking her out to dinner or lunch. He swallowed his bite and gave her a shrug "Okay," He told her taking a sip of his water. "Where you going?"

"It's Sarah's 16th birthday. I was going to head home and surprise her," Rachel told him with her head held high. She expected him to give some sort of protest to her leaving. Usually the rule was that she wasn't supposed to mention that she was married or had children. That's partly why she held off so long in telling him about her plans to visit home. She was afraid he was going to tell her no.

He nodded his head. "Tell her I said Happy Birthday" He went back to his salad. Rachel watched him for a moment. Was it really that easy? She expected to have to fight him. She relaxed and bit and started on her own meal. After several moment though Jesse spoke up again. "Did you talk to Clinton?"

She looked at him confused. "No? Was there something he wanted to see me about?"

Jesse chuckled. "You're planning on leaving for the weekend and you haven't informed you director about it?"

Realization hit Rachel like a ton of bricks. She spent so much energy in figuring out how to tell Jesse that was completely oblivious to the fact that her director should have been aware as well. Of course she should have cleared it with Clinton. She felt like such a fool. Jesse could clearly read her facial expression because he suddenly put his hand over hers. "Rachel it's fine. Just talk to him about it tomorrow and I'm sure it won't be a problem."

She gave him a small smile and little nod before returning to her meal. Jesse watched her closely before clearing his throat to get her attention. "I also hate to be the bad guy on this one but I don't think I can give you the whole weekend," Rachel opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. "There is a promotional lunch on Sunday afternoon that all principal leads are required to attend."

Rachel sighed and closed her eyes at the thought of her perfect weekend with her family being cut short. She swore sometimes it was like these things happened on purpose. "You couldn't have told me about it earlier?"

"I only found out about it today myself." Jesse could see her frustration. "At least you'll get some time with them. You can leave right after rehearsal on Friday and have all Saturday with them before driving back that night"

Rachel shook her head determined something was going to go her way. "Sunday. I'm going to come back Sunday morning."

Jesse gave her a look. "That's cutting it a little close."

"I don't care. I'm going to drive back Sunday morning. I'll make sure I'm here in plenty of time for this lunch but I want as much time with my family as I can get."

Jesse looked at her and for a moment Rachel thought he was going to argue with her but he finally just nodded his head and they continued their meal. The next morning Rachel told Clinton about leaving and while he wasn't exactly thrilled he didn't tell her no either. He did however remind her about the lunch on Sunday and Rachel assured him she would be there on time. With all things set Rachel couldn't wait for tomorrow night when she'd be back home in Noah's arms.

* * *

Puck folder his arms and glared over at his son. "Traitor," he muttered under his breath.

Caleb looked over at his dad from the passenger side of the car. It was Sarah's birthday and they were waiting outside in the car while she went in to take her driving test. She didn't want them coming in because she didn't want them to 'embarrass' her.

Whatever the fuck that meant Caleb couldn't care less because he was just happy to be out of badass boot camp. A few days ago their dad sat them down and gave them this epic speech that said something about 'with badass power come badass responsibility' and told them they officially graduated boot camp. He even let them celebrate by cooking dinner that night. Pot Roast never tasted so sweet after nearly 4 weeks without a proper home cooked meal. Don't get him wrong around week 1 they started to pick up on the cooking thing a little more and their food didn't taste like complete shit and on week 2 their dad even started to give them tips on how to do things in the kitchen.

All in all Bad Ass boot camp was a growing experience (that let him see just how much he really didn't know about shit) that he never wants to go through again. Caleb felt like a better person now or like…wise and shit because he knows how good he really has it. He even mentioned this to his dad last night over dinner that he helped him cooked.

So Caleb was confused why his dad was glaring at him now calling him a traitor. "What the fuck did I do?" He asked him.

Puck scoffed "Oh you know what you did," He told him. "You were supposed to be on my side."

"Um…I still am," He said confused.

"We had deal skid! You help me get her through high school with her…" Puck struggled for a word. "…purity intact and I'll worry about college." Caleb now realized what his dad was talking about. "What the fuck happen?"

"Nothing that I know of," Caleb said trying to think back to remember if any fucker at school was messing with his sister. He had made it pretty clear to the male population of WMHS that his sister was off limits. If he didn't like the way you looked at her he'd kick your ass. This was all undercover of course cause he had a deal with his dad and he wasn't supposed to tell Sarah or his mom about it.

"Bull shit. You helped that Asian kid sing and woo her and shit. They've been practically dry humping right under my nose this whole time and you've been helping them" Puck accused.

Caleb blanched ant the thought of his sister and Chris. Gross. "Okay first off can we agree for you to not say shit like that. It makes me nauseous. And second I haven't been helping them sneak around behind your back," He thought about his words and then added "this whole time. Any way why are you just bringing this up now? It happened like a month again."

"You've been in boot camp so we couldn't really talk about this shit."

"You put me in boot camp!"

Puck rolled his eyes "What the fuck ever man you're a traitor." He shook his head. "I thought I raised you better,"

"You did," Caleb said defensively. Puck gave him a look. "Look did you honestly think we could keep this from happening for four years. She was bound to find a guy that she really liked enough to go for and I for one am just thankful that that guy isn't a complete douche. He listens to her and cares about her and give a damn about what she thinks and shit. He never pressures her for anything 'purity' or 'carnal treasure' related and he even backed off when you told him to. He's my best friend which means I know him better than anyone and I know that he knows that if he fucks this up he'll lose his right nut to me, his left nut to you and his dick to her. It's life," He told his father as he gave him a pat on the shoulder. "These things happen,"

Puck just scoffed again and glared at his son. Caleb just chuckled.

"I'm curious to know though. If I had gotten her through high school how were you gonna handle college when she could move away and have all the sex she wanted,"

"Easy, I was gonna make her go to an all-girl school." Puck told him like it was the most oblivious thing.

Caleb stared at his dad with his mouth open. He was about to ask if his dad had planned this once he found out that he was having a girl but he was cut off when the van door opened and said girl climbed into the back seat before slamming the door shut.

"Hey sweet 16" Puck smiled at her. "How'd it go?"

"Fine," She said avoiding his eyes and pulling out her iPod. Caleb and Puck looked at each other. She usually only did that when she was upset.

"Well… don't you want to dive home?" He tried again.

"No. I want to get the fuck out of here," She snapped at him.

"Someone's on the rag" Caleb muttered.

"Fuck off dickhead" She shot at him.

Caleb turned around to reply but Puck stopped him. "Don't," He said as he put the van in drive and headed home. It was a tense ride home, not only was Sarah pissed but Caleb was pissed too. Puck was waiting till they got home so he could grill her properly on what was wrong.

As soon as he pulled into the drive way and cut the engine Sarah stormed out of the van and headed to the front door. Puck and Caleb barely had enough time to take their seat belts off before she opened the front door with key and slammed it shut.

Puck sighed to himself and slowly got out of the van before making his way to the door. When he got inside the house he heard Sarah slam her bed room door. Caleb came in behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Have fun with that," He told him before went into the living room and clicked on the TV.

Puck pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Rachel.

_What time you getting here?_

He then toed off his shoes and started to climb the stairs to go talk to his daughter. He was surprised to get a response from Rachel by time he reached the top.

_Leaving rehearsal at 2. Should be home in time for dinner_

Puck smiled down at the phone and couldn't stop himself from typing out his next reply.

_And hopefully for dessert too if you catch my drift sexy_

He waited for a moment to get Rachel's response and almost choked on his tongue when he read it.

_I'll make sure to bring my cookie_

He stared to make sure he read it right. Holy shit, she was dirty talking through a text message.

_Are you sexting me babe?_

_I was but now I have to get back to work. I love you wonderful husband of mine and I can't wait to see you tonight._

_Me either babe drive safe. And don't forget that cookie_

He chuckled to himself before his slipped his phone back in his pocket. He couldn't help the feeling of excitement that was flooding through him today. He'd see Rachel in a couple hours and they be together again (at least for a day or two). No need to worry about shit of trying to call at good times. No texting or late night phone calls and more importantly no one handed stress relief because tonight he was getting the real deal. He couldn't wait.

But for right now until she came he had other shit to deal with. He thought as he looked back up to his daughter's room. He pulled up his fist and knocked.

"Go away." She yelled from the other side

"Fat chance of that happening." He told her as he knocked again louder. He heard her get up and approach the door then he heard the click of the lock. Gosh she was her mother's child. "You know I perfecting the art of picking locks so a locked door isn't gonna stop me." She paused. "Okay we do this the hard way" He said about to pull out his pocket knife he keeps on him but stopped when he heard the door click again. She didn't open it but unlocking was just the opening he needed.

He turned the knob slowly and entered her room. She was stilling on her bed with her arms across her chest. Puck didn't say anything yet he just casually strolled over to her and then sat down quietly beside her.

"So…you wanna talk about it," He finally asked her. He made sure to stare straight ahead just like she did. I was always funny to mimic her when she was mad and point out the silly shit she did to avoid him.

"Nope,"

"Maybe a I should rephrase then," He said before he looked over and her and draped an arm around her shoulder. "Tell me what happen."

She sighed on last time before she gave in. "I'm a failure okay." She mumbled.

"Why the fuck would you say that?" He asked confused.

"Cause I failed! I failed my driver's test. I don't know how it happen. I aced the written test but when I got behind the wheel I choked. I'm a fucking failure!"

Puck sighed and tried to comfort her. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad," He told her.

"Two mail boxes and a parked car all before running into the ice machine that sits outside 7-11!" She told him.

"Oh," He said not really knowing how to respond to that one. To be honest he didn't know how to come back from that one.

Sarah's eyes started to water and Pucks heart clenched. They were like kryptonite to him. The real ones anyway. He learned real quick with his kids when shit was real and when shit was fake. Fake tears were easy to brush off but real tears meant actually hurt and emotion. He hated to see her like this.

"I've never failed anything before. EVER. I'm a Puckerman not a failure. I should be able to do this shit."

"You can do this shit," He told her calmly "You just got a little nervous. It happens. We'll got out practice a bit more and in a few weeks you'll go in there and kick ass,"

"But I'll still be a failure. That girl that didn't pass. That's girl that busted the tail light out of the test car at the DMV. Sarah Puckerman is failure." She told him. "I've never felt so bad in my life. I win. I'm a winner. That what I do. That's what you and mom taught me to do. I go out there and do my shit and I'm the best. But this time I'm not!" She told him getting more emotional.

"And that's okay,"

"No it's not okay. I'm not a failure! I don't fail things."

Puck sighed before he looked down at his daughter. She was really have a Rachel moment with a Puck flare. "Okay I think I'm about to officially play one of my dad cards: You're being stupid,"

Sarah opened her mouth to argue but closed it. "Did you just call me stupid?" She asked confused "You're not allowed to do that" She told him.

"Yeah I am and be thankful I didn't call you a fucking drama queen cause you're that right now too." He told her. "Look despite whatever the fuck you're thinking right now this isn't the end of the world. It's a test. And you can't be the best at everything you do. No one can,"

"Why not?" She mumbled miserably

"Because if you were you'd be Chuck Norris,"

Sarah rolled her eyes and gave a small smile. "I still feel like I fail at life now."

"For fuck sakes it's a test! A fucked up test if you ask me considering that half the people that pass it still can't drive for shit. But failing it doesn't define you or change who you are. It's the shit that happens after you fail that counts"

"You mean like standing there humiliated while the lady stamps the big fail on your sheet or having to tell your father that you're a failure and not as awesome as he assured you were."

"None of that shit. It counts when you say okay I fucking failed but then you deal with. Get a kick ass pep talk from a kick ass dad. Get your awesome Jew butt in gear and make sure you don't fail next time."

She looked at him skeptically but he could tell that he was winning her over. Time to bring it on home.

"This is like Star Wars: Attack of the Clones! Yea, the Clone Wars. Did Anakin say 'I got my ass kicked and lost an arm screw the Clone Wars'? No, He got a robotic arm, got in his ship and blew shit up."

Sarah giggled at the Star Wars reference and Puck could tell he won her over. He kissed her forehead and pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you daddy," She whispered to his chest.

"Just doing my job Boog," He told her before pulling away. "Okay enough with this whole cry and questioning your life purpose and shit, it's your birthday and it's my job to make sure you have fucking kick ass day!"

From then on she did. Puck didn't let her out of his sight for more than 5 minutes and that was only when she went to the bathroom. They went out to the movies and had fun talking back at the screen and throwing popcorn at the horny teenagers trying to make out. They went to the supermarket to pick up some stuff for her birthday dinner and played the mess things up game (you basically walk into a store and mess up the display cases or move things around). It was her favorite when they were younger and she couldn't stop giggling and the manager gave the three of them sour looks and asked them when they were leaving. The whole time they was out, she kept asking if Mom was coming home. Her dad would only get a little smile and claim that he didn't know. He wasn't fooling anyone.

By Five she found herself sitting at the table stealing veggies out of the salad as her dad and Caleb stood by the stove. He was showing Caleb the proper way to gill and slice the chicken for Chicken Cordon Bleu.

"Now, don't cook this shit all the way cause it's gonna finish off in the oven. So, you gotta make sure it has some color but not too much. Like a chick that only tans once every few months not the one that goes every week."

Caleb nodded his head in understanding. He hated chicks with too much tan. They always tasted funny.

"So I have a question," Sarah piped up from the table.

"And what might that be?" Puck asked as he took the first chicken breast out of the pan and made sure Caleb saw how he did it.

"Where's my song?"

Puck stopped for a moment. Shit, he forgot about the song. Every year on their birthday Rachel plans and has this big moment for them and sings them a song to either encourage them for that next year of life. Puck usually helped out and played guitar or sang a duet but choosing the song was always Rachel's job.

He didn't really know if she did it already or not but Sarah just looked and waited for an answer. An idea popped in his head. "You'll get it," He told her.

He pulled the rest of the chicken out and set it aside for the rest of the preparations. He pulled Caleb aside and told him what he needed him to do and after a few moments of comedic arguing, his son agreed.

Caleb ran upstairs and ran back down with his dad's acoustic guitar. He pulled out a stool for him to sit on. Puck took his guitar and fixed it to his liking. He started to pluck the cord into a gentle and familiar melody of "I'll stand by you".

Sarah smiled with tears in her eyes and her father sang out the song to her. When he reached the second chorus she was surprised to hear her brother join in and harmonize with him. She knew they haven't probably practiced this but it sounded so perfect. It meant a lot after the day she had and she couldn't be happier to take this song and message into the next year of her life. They sang out the final notes and played the final chord and she clapped for them. They pretended to do a little bow before her brother came over and gave her a big hug. "Happy Birthday sis," He told her. And she hugged him back.

He dad put the guitar down and gave her a big hug too. "I mean it you know," He told her.

"I know," She told him squeezing him a little bit tighter before letting go.

_Sweet Caroline good times never seem so good._

Sarah laughed. "Oh gee I wonder why mom is randomly and not at all suspiciously calling,"

Puck rolled his eyes as he walked out the room answered. "Hey babe,"

"Hi," Rachel said breathless.

"You still on the road?"

"No actually…um I'm not" She told him in a low voice. "Rehearsal went longer than expected and some other things came up,"

"Oh that sucks," He told her. "Well, sounds like you're gonna miss dinner but at least you're gonna make it home in time for dessert" He said seductively. "You hitting the road now?"

There was a long pause before she answered. "No…not yet," She answered quietly again.

"Why not? What the fuck you waiting for?" He asked slumping down on the steps.

"Um… I'm actually still in the middle of things here. Something went terribly wrong with scheduling and it looks like I'm gonna be stuck here for at least another four hours"

"Four hours! Shit can't you just pick up that shit on Monday or something."

"Noah it's not that simple,"

"What are you trying to say?"

She took another long pause before speaking again. "I…I don't think I'm going to make it." She whispered.

And there it was. The shit hitting the fan. That moment when he realized that he was fucked cause he got his hopes up even when he told himself not it. And with that moment comes everything else, anger , betrayal, disappointment. These were all fairly familiar to Puck but he hasn't felt them to this extreme in a long time.

And as much as this hurt sucked for him. He could only imagine how much more worst it suck for Sarah. After the day she had this would fucking kill her.

"Noah…" She said quietly after a few minutes of quiet from him. "Noah talk to me"

"Don't," He finally broke. "Don't do this,"

"Noah I don't really have a choice," Rachel said through the tears

"Yes you do. Just leave. Shit they don't own you."

"I can't," She told him and begged him to understand.

"You won't," He accused.

"I'll…I'll come home next weekend. For the full weekend."

"Next weekend isn't her birthday! It's today. It's now and you're fucking missing it!" He tried to keep his voice down not wanting his kids to hear this. Hell he didn't want to be hearing this.

"Do you think I wanted this to happen? You think I'd rather be here than at home with my family," She was crying again.

Puck ignored her question and posed one of his own. "How the fuck am I supposed to go in there and tell her this shit?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," She continued to cry. "I tried everything and I just…I'm sorry"

Puck pulled the phone away from his ear. He didn't want to hear her crying. He didn't want to hear how horrible she felt or how she was gonna make it right. He just needed her to fucking be here. He hit the end button hanging up on her. He'll deal with that shit later. Right now he couldn't think about it.

Right now he had to make it right. He sat on the steps for ten minutes and thought about how to recover from this. Sarah had her hopes up about Rachel coming home if he went in there and told her she wasn't it would crush her and he couldn't stand to do that to her. Especially not on her 16th birthday after failing a driver's test! He mulled over his other options and plans and in the end only one stuck out as being able to salvage this birthday from hell.

He hated it. Hated that he even had to do it. But for his daughter he would have. He was a fucking man and he had to do what he had to do to keep shit together. He sighed and pulled out his phone and dialed an number he rarely used (honestly who uses the house phone when people have cell phones). It rang 3 times before someone answered.

"Hello?"

Puck sighed in relief at least it was the person he wanted to talk to.

"You have twenty minutes to get yourself cleaned up, put something nice on and pick up my daughter for a date." He gritted. He hated the way the words tasted in his mouth.

"Are you serious?"

"I'm giving you your chance. Don't fuck it up or I swear to Jew God I will…"

"I know Uncle Puck. I know." He told him. "…Thanks. You won't regret it." He told him.

Puck didn't bother with a reply and hung up. He already regretted it. He fucking regretted this whole situation. He got and put on his best game face to go into the kitchen. When he came in he found his kids dancing around the kitchen to some old school Billy Joel song. This was how it was supposed to be. Them together as a family laughing and celebrating a birth day. Not this bull shit he was about to do.

He walked over to the iHome and turned the song down. That got their attention and Sarah smiled up at her dad.

"Done with all your secret plans and phone calls. I swear you would be the worst spy ever,"

Puck shook his head and give her a grim smile. "There's been a change of plan. I'm not cooking tonight."

Sarah's face fell and grew concerned. " Why not? Is everything okay? Is it mom?"

Oh if she only knew puck thought to himself. "No she's fine. Everything is fine. But you should probably go change."

Sarah frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"Cause Chris will be here in about 15 minutes to pick you up for your date." He told her and tried not to scowl about it.

Sarah stood shocked and replayed his words in her head a few times to make sure she heard his correctly. When they finally sunk in her face lit up in a huge smile. She threw herself excitedly into her father's arms. "Oh my God! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She said and jumped up and down before pulling away. "Only 15 minutes! That's not enough time to get ready. Why didn't you tell me sooner? It's a good think I plan for this," She babbled on excited. She stopped for a moment. "Oh wait what about mom? I don't want to disappoint her if she came home all this way-"

Puck cut her off. "Don't worry about it. I told her what was going on and we agreed that she'll come down and celebrate some other time." He lied smoothly.

The smile was back in full force and so was the excited 16 year old about to go on her first date. She started to run for the stairs when Puck called after her. " Make sure you put some fucking pants on! No Skirts!" '

"Yeah and No v-necks either. Guys will try to check out your boobs when you bend over in those!" Caleb yelled up too. Puck looked over at his son. "What? Just cause he's my boy doesn't mean I want him perving on my sister.

Puck shook his head and went back into the kitchen to start cleaning up and putting food away. Caleb followed and watched him from the doorway

"So what's up with the change of heart on Chris?" Caleb asked.

Puck just shrugged.

"Did you and mom really plan this?"

Puck ignored him this time and focused on his work. His kid was too fucking smart for his own good.

"Is she not coming at all this weekend?"

"You gonna stand there and ask me questions all night?" Puck finally responded.

Caleb just came into the kitchen and helped his father clean up. When the finished packing up all the food and put in the fridge Caleb turned to him.

"Just one more question"

"What?"

"If you're not cooking and she's going out what are we gonna do for dinner."

At this Puck smirked. This was an easy question and one that he didn't mind answering.

"I thought you would have figured it out by now. We're going out to eat. And we just might to pick the same restaurant as Sarah and Chris. I mean after all Lima is a small town. These things happen," He told his son.

Caleb smiled at his dad. "Oh yeah! Epic stakeout date spying: Puckerman Style."

* * *

**LET ME EXPLAIN BEFORE YOU START THROWING FRUIT AT ME!**

**Rachel WILL come home soon it just wasn't in this chapter and before I start getting hate mail about her actions I'll explain her side of the story in the next chapter. So please don't be ****TOO**** harsh.**

**That being said I would really like to know what you thought? I've been getting request for Chris/Sarah so I decided to give them their moment in this chapter. Let me know what you like or don't like or any questions or suggestions you have.**

**Thanks Again! I'll miss you all! Review!**


	11. Bull Shit

**I'm BACK! **

**OMG it's been forever. FF got a new look and everything just looks so fancy.**

**First things first, I'm so so sorry about the long delay. I went on vacation, then got very sick. Had to travel back to my home town got stuck there while the doctors tried to figure out what was wrong with me. Got a new job and had a death in my family. Basically it's been a really rough couple of months for me. But I made it and I'm back and ready to finish this!**

**Thank you to everyone for all their support while I was gone and going through. Thank you to my amazing beta who litarlly held my hand this summer while things were going on. Thanks for the favs, the reviews and the PMs. They mean so so much to me.**

**Okay this is the chapter everyone has been waiting for. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 11

Today was the day Rachel had been waiting for; Saturday. Not only was it Sarah's 16th birthday but it was also the day she would go home and see her family again. She was so excited her body was practically hummed in excitement. She got up early and packed her bag so that she would be ready to go when she left this afternoon.

She couldn't believe it. In just a few short hours she would be back in the comfort of Noah's arms and surrounded by the sounds of her children arguing over some juvenile thing. She would be home. She'd be loved and not have to worry about what she did or said. She wouldn't have to constantly watch her back against the people around her.

After packing she took some time to call the birthday girl before rehearsal.

"Hello?"

"Happy Sweet 16 birthday," Rachel said enthusiastically into the phone.

Sarah laughed, "Thanks Mom."

"Okay, I know it may not seem like it now but this day is very important to your growth and development. Your 16th birthday is a mere stepping stone on your way to blossoming into womanhood."

"Mom," Sarah said but Rachel kept going.

"I just think we should take the time to look back and reflect on the life changing moments that have led us here. May even appreciate those hard times that shaped you into who you are today."

"Mom..."

"This is the moment to look ahead at where you want your journey to take you and who you really want to become in life-"

"Mom," Sarah said finally cutting Rachel off. "Look it's just my 16th birthday! I'm not getting married or anything. I'm pretty sure there'll be plenty of time to reflect and appreciate later."

"But Sweetie you don't understand. Being 16 is a magical year. This is when you start to find yourself and subsequently find love. You know I was 16 when you're father and I first dated."

"Yeah and then you broke up with him after a week cause you were in love with Uncle Finn."

"The point is-"

"I get it mom. This is a big moment for me and I should enjoy which I will. I promise" Sarah reassured her.

Rachel beamed. "I'm glad. What are your plans for the day?"

"Well as soon as dad wakes up," She said shouting. Rachel rolled her eyes imagining her daughter trying to rush Noah and Caleb. "We're heading down to the DMV to get my license"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Rachel said feeling a pang of guilt.

Sarah was going to get her license today and she wouldn't be there for the moment. She wouldn't get to see her excited face when she comes running up with that piece of plastic. She wouldn't get to see how nervous she would be when Noah let her drive home. It was a big moment and she was missing it. "I'm very proud of you. And I love you very much."

"God, you're not gonna start crying are you," Sarah said before chuckling. "I love you too mom. And don't worry as soon as you get home I'll drive you around everywhere. You think dad'll get me my own car?"

Rachel laughed. "I doubt it."

"Darn. Oh well looks like I'm going to have to steal Caleb's" She mused.

"The hell you will. Over my dead body," Rachel heard her son in the background.

"That can be arranged," Sarah mumbled. Then Rachel heard some fumbling around in ground. Sarah screamed and it sounded like she was running. "Stop I'm telling dad!" She yelled. "Mom, I gotta go. Your son is acting like an infant!" She shouted again.

"Hi Mom, your daughter is being a brat!" Caleb yelled

Rachel laughed. "Try not to kill each other," She told them.

"I can't make any promises" Sarah said before there was another loud sound in the background. "Love you mom, gotta go!" Sarah said before clicking the phone.

"Love you too," Rachel said to the dead phone. Another pang hit her. She missed them. All their fighting and yelling through the house and now her room seemed so quiet. She took a moment and let the loneliness seep into her.

Wait a minute she was being silly. While her feelings and emotions were justified she was completely overlooking the fact that she would see them soon in less than 12 hours in fact. She would just have to brave through today and then she would be free to go home. Her chest began to feel light again. She was off to rehearsal.

The day started off like normal: people glaring at her, Frank making her life difficult, and Clinton being surly and demanding. All in all it was a typical rehearsal. They had a 10 minute break and she even got a chance to text Noah (After which she couldn't keep the smile off her face at the thought of 'dessert'). Things didn't start going south until Jesse walked in looking stressed and angry. He was on his phone and he was not happy.

"Fine we'll work around it," He finally snapped to the person on the phone. He made his way over to Clinton without even glancing at Rachel which was a little odd considering he's always staring at her or touching her. Clinton called five as Jesse pulled him over for a discussion that now Clinton was not happy about.

"I wonder what's wrong." She said to no one in particular.

Frank looked at her with fake enthusiasm. "Maybe we're getting a new lead," He said before rolling his eyes at her.

"That's too bad. We're really gonna miss you," She shot back at him with a glare of her own. She was tired of taking his crap. And to be perfectly honest the prospects of seeing Noah in a few hours made her feel braver.

She turned her attention back to Clinton as he made his way over to the rest of the cast. "Everyone we have a situation. Apparently there was some scheduling confusion with the photographer for the promotional shots. We were supposed to do them next Friday but he is only available today. So here what's going to happen: principle rehearsal is ending for right now and we'll pick back up at six. In the meantime dancers you're going to take their slot and have you're rehearsals now. Principles you need to report to costumes and then back to Jessie so you can be taken to the locations for the shoot. Let's move,"

Everyone jumped into action at his words. Dancers ran around trying to get ready while actors scrambled to gather their things. Everyone was in motion except Rachel who stood there stunned and she processed all the information. If she was doing promotional photos during rehearsal, and had another rehearsal later on tonight. She won't be able to go home.

No, that can't happen. There has to be some other way. She made her way over to Jesse.

"There you are" He said when she approached. "I was looking around for you."

"Jesse, we can't do the shoot today. I'm supposed to being home remember. I'm leaving in a few hours to drive to Lima."

"Rachel, there's nothing I can do about this. I've been on the phone all morning trying to rework it because we're nowhere near ready for this. Most of the costumes aren't even fully put together.

"Reschedule,"

"He won't be available until May when the workshop is well over."

"Then get someone else,"

"Are you kidding Martin Barlow is the best. We have to use him."

"But Jesse-"

"Look Rachel, you don't know anything about the technical side of producing a Broadway show. So why don't you do me a favor and go to costumes."

"I'm going home. You said I could go home so I'm going," She said stubbornly. It sounded childish even in her eyes but she stood her ground.

Jesse looked her square in the eye. "You wanted to be a professional. Well this is professional. Thing come up, you deal with it and you sacrifice. So I'm sorry but I'm not sure if that's still going to happen." Rachel glared at him and opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off. "Look…" Jesses face soften and stroked Rachel's cheek. "I don't want to fight with you. I'll try to get you out of the shoots as fast as I can but you're going to have to talk to Clinton about missing your late night rehearsal. If you get his blessing you can leave after the shoot around 5 or 6."

Rachel gave him a grateful smile and big hug. She walked over to Clinton.

"Not now, Ohio," He told her as he rushed around with papers in his hand.

"I really need to talk to you." She told him.

"Talk to me when you get back," He tossed over his shoulder.

Someone from behind called her name and told her that Costumes really needed to see her and she knew she missed her shot to talk to him.

It would be okay. Clinton was a very understanding man. Plus this would be a perfect time for her understudy to get some much needed rehearsal. Rachel was confident they could work this out. Plus Jesse was right. Even though this changed the plans a little bit she would just be leaving a few hours later. There was nothing to stress about. This was going to work. This HAD to work.

The next few hours were a stressful blur of people poking her, prodding her, taking off her clothes and putting others on. She was shoved in a van with the other principles and taken to the location of the shoot. Once there she was yanked out of the van and again attacked but this time by a hair and makeup team. Jesse would walk over occasionally, make a comment, and the team would rush to fix whatever he didn't like.

Rachel felt more like a doll than an actually person. The feeling only increased when Martin Barlow finally showed up and they actually started the shoot. As annoying as it was it was also excited at the same time, getting the star treatment. She got a glimpse of herself in the mirror and couldn't believe how much she looked like Maria. It was amazing.

The whole time though her brain was nagging her about the prospects of going home. What would happen if she couldn't? No. She refused to believe that. Anytime those thoughts came into her head she just pushed them away and told herself that she'd see Noah and the kids soon enough.

Finally they were done and Rachel sighed in relief when she looked at the clock and it was just after four. At this rate should leave Chicago around five and be home for a movie with the kids and late night with Noah. She changed quickly but didn't bother with her hair and makeup.

When they made it back to the Theater Rachel looked all over the theatre for Clinton but he was nowhere to be found. Maybe he'll cancel tonight she thought hopefully. Maybe something came up in his personal life and he himself couldn't make it. Those hopes were dashed when Clinton showed up just after five.

"Clinton" Rachel rushed up to him "I really need to talk to you."

"I hope you ate Ohio because I won't put up with you passing out during rehearsal." He said not even looking up from his papers.

"Well that's what I need to talk to you about. You see I was supposed to leave a few hours ago to head back to Lima but-"

"No," Clinton cut her off.

"Excuse me,"

"You're about to ask me if you can skip rehearsal so you can head back home and I am telling you no."

"But-"

"No."

"You don't understand. I have to be there. It's very important."

"Not more important than my show." He said walking away from her.

"Listen," Rachel said jumping in front of him. "I work my ass off for this show. I'm the first one here and the last one to leave. I've been working with vocal coaches and choreographers before the rest of the cast even got here. I know the entire script by heart and sing with perfect pitch every time. I'm giving this everything I have and all I'm asking for is one night!"

Clinton looked unimpressed. "You work your ass off. Good. What do you want a round of applause? Look around Ohio. So does everyone else. That's what it takes. That's how we all got here. So you need to decide if this is what you really want or not cause if it's not than stop wasting my god damn time." Clinton brushed past her. "If it is I'll see you at rehearsal," he tossed over his shoulder before leaving.

"Nice bitch fit" Frank said from behind her.

"Fuck off Frank!" She yelled back before storming off to the bathroom. She really didn't want to have to deal with him right now. Not when she had bigger problems.

It's over. That's it. She was not going home. She won't see Noah or Caleb. She won't be able to tell her baby girl happy birthday to her face. She's going to miss it. And that officially makes her the worst mother on the planet. How the hell did this happen? She did everything right. She played by the rules. She did her time.

And it wasn't like she could just walk way. Clinton pretty much told her she doesn't show up tonight she's out of the show. She's worked too damn hard to let that happen. How would she explain that to kids or Noah? That she threw away the wonderful opportunity cause she didn't want to go to rehearsal that night. Noah would call her stupid just for thinking it.

Still, this wasn't going to be easy. Sarah would be devastated if Noah told her she was coming and she didn't show. And Noah; she couldn't even bear to think about how hurt and upset he'd be at her. Especially considering how rocky things have been in her absence. But he had to understand. It's not like she choose this or even wanted this to happen. She's a victim just as much as he is.

She looked at the time. Almost 5:30. She should call him and tell him the news. She didn't want him holding off dinner for her if she was never coming. She looked in the mirror and splashed cool water on her face to calm herself down. When she felt calm, she pulled out her phone and dialed the number.

He answered after the first few rings. "Hey babe," he said.

"Hi," Rachel said breathlessly. It was ridiculous how just the sound of his voice seemed to put her body at ease. Like her body knows that he was a safe place. He was home.

"You still on the road," She felt the familiar pang that she did that morning. She should be on the road. Maybe even in the driveway of her home by now. Not standing in the theater bathroom trying not to breakdown and cry.

"No actually…um I'm not," She told him in a low voice. "Rehearsal went longer than expected and some other things came up," She tried to swallowed the lump building in her throat but found it really difficult.

"Oh that sucks," He told her. "Well, sounds like you're gonna miss dinner but at least you're gonna make it home in time for dessert," He said seductively. "Are you hitting the road now?"

God she wished she was. She wish so bad that that she could tell him that. Rachel took several calming breaths before responding. "No…not yet," She answered quietly again.

"Why not? What the fuck you waiting for," He asked

"Um… I'm actually still in the middle of things here. Something went terribly wrong with scheduling and it looks like I'm gonna be stuck here for at least another four hours" The words tasted bitter in her mouth.

"Four hours! Shit can't you just pick up that shit on Monday or something." Yes! She wished she could.

"Noah it's not that simple," She had to explain it to him. He had to understand.

"What are you trying to say?" She could hear him putting the pieces together of what she was trying to tell him. The disappointment was starting to build in his voice.

She blinked back her tears. "I…I don't think I'm going to make it." She whispered too much of a coward to say it louder.

He was silent, silent for a long time and somehow that was worse than him yelling or cussing. That silence said everything that he was feeling; how hurt he was and how much he disapproved. The silence was torture for her. "Noah…Noah talk to me"

"Don't," He finally broke. "Don't do this," Her tears finally broke through now. Not only was she a horrible mother but she was a horrible wife for doing this to him. She took deep breaths forcing herself not to break. She needed to herself to keep it together long enough to explain.

"Noah I don't really have a choice," Rachel said through her tears.

"Yes you do. Just leave. Shit they don't own you."

"I can't," She told him and begged him to understand. If she left she would be gone for good. Everything they have been working for these past couple months would be for nothing. She would fail not only herself but her family and she refused to do that.

"You won't," He accused.

She had to make this better. There had to be something she could do to make this better. "I'll…I'll come home next weekend, for the full weekend."

"Next weekend isn't her birthday! It's today. It's now and you're fucking missing it!" Does he think she doesn't know that! Of course she does! That's all that's every on her mind anymore.

"Do you think I wanted this to happen? You think I'd rather be here than at home with my family," She begged. How did he not understand? This was killing her just as much as it was killing him. Did he think she enjoyed this?

"How the fuck am I supposed to go in there and tell her this shit?" He asked.

Rachel broke. She honestly didn't have an answer to his question. She didn't know what to do or what to say to stop the hurt or the horrible feeling inside. She hated herself a little bit and all she could do right now is cry.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," She continued to cry. "I tried everything and I just…I'm sorry"

She heard the click on the other line and cried even harder. He's hung up on her a lot this past month. By now it shouldn't hurt so bad but it still had a sting behind it. Especially this time since she knows that this is all her fault.

She spends about another ten minutes crying in the bathroom before she remembers she has a rehearsal in ten minutes. She puts herself together as best as she can before she walks out of the bathroom with her head held high. She knows everyone can see her tear stained shirt and her swollen red eyes but no one comments about it and she's thankful. She's also thankful that they are rehearsing Tony's death tonight. She had a lot of emotion to throw into the scene and by time they were done even frank couldn't say one negative thing to her.

She didn't stay for any idle chit chat when Clinton released them. Noah was right they are all a bunch of ass wipes and the soon she got out of there the better. She didn't even turn when he called her name as she was leaving. She had a one track mind and quickly left the theater and walked the six blocks back to the hotel. Normally Jesse gives her a ride but she doesn't want to see him right now. She doesn't want to see anyone right now unless they have the last name Puckerman.

As soon as she reached the hotel she went straight to her room not even bothering to take the elevator. She opened her door grabbed her bag that she packed earlier this morning and walked right out down to the garage. She was going home even if it killed her. Screw Clinton, screw the show, screw Jesse and screw all of them. She had a place she needed to be and she was going to get there.

When she reached the car in the garage she was already starting to feel lighter. They couldn't tell her 'no' now. She played by their rules (even when they changed them) and stayed for the stupid rehearsal and now she was going home to her family, even if it was only for a few hours. She'd get in at 3:00am she could spend a couple hours with them before hitting the road at seven to be back for the stupid lunch. It nowhere near enough time but it's something and honestly she just needs to see them.

Rachel opened up the back seat not bothering with the trunk and threw her bag in back. She got in the driver's seat and breathed out a sigh of relief. The car smelled like her son which was oddly comforting. She jammed the key in and tried to turn on the car only something was wrong. The car wouldn't turn on.

"No," Rachel said out loud.

She tried it again and again and it still wouldn't work. It's okay she told herself. She could fix this. She may not be the most car savvy person in the world but Noah did teach her a thing or two about checking the oil and wiper fluids and stuff. This was a small problem. She could fix. Heck she WOULD fix it. She needed to go home and this car and a 4 hour drive was the only thing in her way.

She popped the hood, got out and after tinkering around for a bit with stuff she didn't understand she jumped back in to try again. Still it wouldn't start.

"Shit!" Rachel said finally. "Shit! Shit! SHIT!" She started beating her fist on the dash board and steering wheel. "Shit! This whole thing is shit! Shit!" She yelled and slammed her fist on the horn. The sound startled her and she finally stopped screaming and threw her head forward on the steering wheel. She wanted to cry but she was all cried out. She felt hollow on the inside.

There had to be a way to fix this. I need to go home. She told herself. I need to go home. Fix this Rachel. You need to go home to your husband and your children. You have to fix this.

At that moment there was a knock at her window. Rachel jump back startled. It was Jesse. She opened the door and stepped out to meet him.

"Rachel what are doing? I've been looking everywhere for you. I thought-"

"I'm going home" She cut him off without even pretending to care about whatever he was about to say.

Jesse frowned. "You're going home?" She nodded "Right now?" She nodded again "At almost 11:00 at night."

"Yes" She said exasperated.

"Then you're going to drive back in the morning for a lunch at noon?" Rachel didn't even bother responding. "Rachel that doesn't make sense,"

"It doesn't have to" She shot back at him. "I have to go home and I'm going home. Someone I love very much is waiting for me and I refuse to let them down." She said before got back in the car and slammed it shut. Jesse just stood outside the car.

She put the keys back in, praying the car would start this time but no such luck. Screw the car then. She threw the door open and yanked her bag out of the backseat before locking and slamming it shut. She started walking off until Jesse caught up with her.

"Now what are you doing," He said easily making her stride.

"The car won't start so I'm calling someone to come a fix it."

"At this hour on a Saturday?" He asked her.

"Fine I'll call a cab to come and get me," She said stubbornly.

"And drive you 4 hours to Lima? How you gonna get back?"

"I'll take another cab back,"

"Rachel,"

"Or Noah will drive me,"

"Rachel, stop," He said grabbing her arm.

"Or I'll take the van and bring it back,"

"God, Stop! Do you hear how crazy you sound?"

"I have to go home," She told him.

"Rachel, you're tired. You really did try but I don't think it's going to be possible"

"No!" She said to him, giving him the brunt of all her emotion. "I have to go home Jesse. I have a family; people that love me and care about me and support me. People that I have hurt! I need to go home and I need to make it right. I'm her mother and I'm supposed to be there! She got her license today and I missed it. I missed everything! I'm going. I'm going home to my family" She said finally being able to cry again.

Jesse didn't respond as he watched her break down in the parking lot. She was a mess. Her beautiful makeup for the shoot was smudged and running. He just calmly walked up to her. Took her bag off her shoulder and pulled her into a hug. Rachel didn't really having energy to resist. She didn't say a word when he quietly led her back to her room. She didn't speak when he laid her on her bed still fully clothed. She didn't even speak when he kissed her forehead before leaving. She just cried until she slept.

When she woke up the next morning; there was a note from Jesse sitting on top of a bill for a mechanic.

Just go in, she told herself. Stop being a coward.

* * *

It was week later and Rachel found herself sitting in the driveway of her home. Professionally wise this week was a lot easier than her past ones. After her emotionally packed rehearsal on Friday night everyone kind of gained a new respect for her and kind of backed off. Jesse treated her with a little more care and made sure she got more rest.

On the inside though, this was a horrible week for Rachel. She didn't call Noah. She knew even if she tired he wouldn't answer. To make matters worse even the kids didn't have time to talk to her this week. They were so busy with whatever was going on here she barely got a five minute conversation out of them. So here she was a week later finally home where she belonged and afraid to go in.

What if they were still mad at her? What if the kids turned their backs on her and Noah kicked her out saying she didn't belong? What if she was rejected by her own family? Rationally speaking she knew she was being a tad bit over dramatic but with the week she had she allowed herself a few more moments of torture. She swallowed hard and got out of the car.

Do I ring the doorbell, she thought. That just seemed silly. She wasn't a guest or was she? No she wasn't. She thought as she took her house key out and unlocked the door. It was now or never.

When she walked into the house she was taken aback by how clean everything looked. Not like she thought it would be a complete train wreck but she knew her husband and children weren't the neatest people on the planet. She was also surprised by how quiet it seemed. Granted it was eight in the morning.

She knew someone was up however because she could the TV was on low in the living room and smell of eggs and biscuits was filling the house.

"Hey asshat, put it back on Justice League." Caleb called from the kitchen.

"No, I wanna watch Phineas and Ferb" Sarah called back from the living room still keeping her voice was relatively low.

"Fine, make your own damn breakfast," He told her his voice just as low. Making breakfast? Was Caleb cooking? She didn't know he knew how to cook considering he had trouble making toast without burning it.

"Fine, you're such a butt head,"

Rachel sat her bag down and quietly closed the door.

"You hear that," Caleb whispered. Sarah put the TV on mute. Rachel heard him sneak around the corner of the kitchen. He came around still in his Pajamas, spatula in hand ready to attack until he saw her.

"Mom," He said in disbelief as he dropped the spatula to the ground. "Mom," He yelled before he ran forward and pulled her into a big hug.

"Hi sweetie," Rachel said as he hugged her tightly. She swallowed back her tears. He'd grown so much in these past few months. Still taller than her and his hair was cut a little shorter that she remembered.

"I really missed you," He mumbled into the hug.

"I missed you too," She said back to him.

"Mom," She heard Sarah call from behind her. Caleb pulled back and gave her a kiss on the cheek before stepping aside.

"Hi" She said brightly to Sarah before she pulled her in her arms and hugged her tightly. She too had grown. Now she was almost Rachel's height and her hair was longer and fuller.

"Gosh what are doing here," Sarah said.

"I'm here for the weekend. I really missed you guys." Rachel explained. Sarah pulled back from the hug.

"We really missed you too mom. A lot" She said.

"Why didn't dad tell us you were coming we would've cleaned up a bit" Caleb said looking around as if it wasn't already clean enough.

"Or at least put some clothes on," Sarah said looking down at her own pajamas with bunnies on them.

"He…um. He didn't know either. I wanted to kind of surprise you guys. All of you." Rachel said.

Sarah and Caleb looked at each other with big grins. The type of grins that normally means trouble. "Wait a minute so you're here and dad doesn't know you here?" Sarah clarified. Rachel nodded.

"Oh, this is going to be good" Caleb said. "I can't wait to see his face when he sees you." He says to her before thinking about it. "Scratch that. I don't want to see his face or anything that happens after he sees you. With you guys around things get rated R really fast."

"Oh gross! Now I'm thinking about what dad said about the table." Sarah said. They both shuddered.

"Where_ is_ your father?" Rachel asked trying to get the conversation back on track and away from her and Noah's sex life.

"Upstairs sleep." Caleb said.

"OSU had a big game last night and asked dad to fill in for the offensive coach." Sarah explained.

"Yeah, apparently the old coach accidently fell down some stairs and broke both of his legs." Caleb said.

Rachel could see him and Sarah trying not to laugh. Her eyes went down suspiciously.

"You guys didn't push him down the stairs did you?" She asked.

"What?"

"No"

"And even if we did they can't prove anything," Caleb said before him and Sarah both burst out laughing. Rachel looked at them with her eyes wide in horror. Technically this wouldn't be the worst thing they've done by a long shot but it was still pretty bad.

"Mom, relax," Sarah said catching her breath. "We're kidding."

"It's not our fault the guy's clumsiness is dad's gain. Even if we did plan to do it eventually," Caleb said gigging.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "You two," She said before giggling herself. "I really missed you guys."

* * *

Puck was half awake and half sleep. If he tried hard enough could wake himself up fully. But he didn't want to do that. So he just laid there and tried not to think. Maybe he'll fall back asleep in a few minutes. He just didn't have the energy to do it today. He did want to have to get up and pretend like it didn't fucking hurt to be in an empty bed. He didn't want to have to do any of it. So maybe if he just lay here he could put it off for a little while longer.

He felt the bed dip down beside him and knew he must have fallen back to sleep. Even in his dreams all he could do was dream about her. In his more naughty dreams she'd be putting her hands down his pants by now but his mind wasn't giving him one of those dreams. Right now it was just giving him her and he was thankful.

This one seems more realistic than the others though. The smell of her was so real. It was almost as if he could taste her or feel the heat of her right beside him. Okay that's enough of this, he thought. It was time to open his eyes and see the emptiness beside him. He had his fun with dream Rachel but now it was time to get up and deal with real life. Puck sigh in disappointment before cracking his eyes just a peak to ease himself into consciousness.

Holy Shit! He thought and closed his eyes tight. I've lost my fucking mind. I've finally snapped and now I'm seeing hallucination of Rachel. After all there was no fucking way that she was laying down in the bed beside him right now. Rachel's in Chicago, he told himself. This was not real.

Warm lips hesitantly reached out and touched his, only for a few moments and then pulled back. That felt fucking real.

Puck took a chance and opened his eyes and was staring right into hers. And at that moment he knew he was awake and this was real life. There was no way he can dream how beautiful she actually was. No way in fuck his own mind can capture that scent, that was all her, that never ceased to drive him wild and want her. No, this was real and Rachel was with him.

"Hi," She whispered.

"Hi," He said back his voice was thick with sleep. She reached out a shaky hand and touched his lips. He kissed them gently and relished in her taste.

"Noah," She said. "I…" She didn't get it out because he leaned forward and kissed her like he wanted to.

He didn't care what she had to say. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was there. She was home and she was in his bed, their bed. The rest of the shit they could figure out in a few hours after he'd had his fill of her. Right now he just wanted to be with her, hold heir, touch her and love her like he hasn't gotten to do for the past few months. And he did just that.

* * *

By time Rachel woke up, the sun was setting in the sky. She hummed to herself and stretched her body feeling completely content. Rachel bit her lip and tried not to smile. Noah insisted they did not leave the bed for the first couple hours she was back and she did nothing to stop him. Afterwards she fell asleep completely spent. It was odd this was best rest that she had in months. She snuggled deeper into the covers inhaling the scent of Noah and just enjoying the feeling of her own bed.

After a moment though she started to feel guilty; she was home and all she was doing was sleeping. She should be downstairs with her family stealing every spare moment she has with them until she's taken away again.

She got up and slipped on some sweat pants and one of Noah's t-shirts. She didn't even bother putting on a bra. This was home and she could be whoever she wanted to be here. She open the bed room door and was hit with the aroma of dinner being cooked and the sound of her family.

When she entered the kitchen she saw them dancing around and singing while cooking. Noah was at the stove moving his hips while he sang out _Ain't No Mountain High Enough_. Caleb was at the sink doing the dishes and singing into the sprayer while Sarah stood at the counter chopping. Rachel covered her hand over her mouth so she didn't interrupt them. This is what she missed most of all.

Caleb did a turn. "Don't you know that there, ain't no-Mom," He said jumping back startled and dropping a dish in the sink spraying suds all over him.

Sarah burst out laughing at him while Puck turned the music down.

"Hey sleeping beauty," He said coming up to her and kissing her deeply. Rachel tried to stifle her moan but didn't hesitate to put her arms around his neck and deepen the kiss. "Mmm, no bra," He mumbled to her brining his hand up to cup her through his shirt. "That's hot babe,"

"Adolescents are still in the room!" Sarah called from behind them.

"Later," Puck told her before pecking her on the lips. Rachel just giggled.

"Gross! Can you guys attempt to not dry hump each other in the kitchen," Caleb said.

"Only if you two can attempt not to be a pain in my ass" Puck said brushing some suds out of Caleb's hair.

"What can I help with," Rachel asked.

"Nothing, we got it all taken care of," Sarah told her.

"Actually dad's got it all taken care of. We were just helping out a bit before we skip out," Caleb told her.

"You're leaving?" She asked them "But I thought we could have a nice family dinner together,"

"Sorry mom but we got plans," Caleb told her.

"Yeah and we figured you and dad could use a night together. You know catch up…fall back in love," Sarah mumbled the last part. Caleb nudged her.

"Breakfast though! We'll have a big family breakfast," He said to smooth things over.

"Okay I think she gets why you're ditching her," Puck said playfully.

"Oh gosh, you don't really think we're ditching you mom do you?" Sarah said worried. "Cause we'll cancel,"

"No," Rachel said. "Of course I don't. We'll do breakfast tomorrow. You guys go out. Have fun. Hang out with your friends." Rachel looked over at puck. "I'm sure your father can keep me entertained for a while."

"Actually I'm headed out on a date" Sarah beamed.

"Oh…" Rachel said awkwardly. " I wasn't aware you were dating"

"Well it's still fairly new but daddy finally gave Chris permission to take me out. Even though him and Caleb followed us around the whole time and dad almost tackled him when he wiped food off my lip but it still great. We're out again tonight."

"And I'm playing undercover chaperone" Caleb told her. "Speaking of which we gotta go, I told Chris to meet us at 6:30. You know how I hate the restaurant wait." He said teasingly.

Sarah scoffed and rolled her eyes before storming out of the room. Caleb went to follow before Puck stopped him. "Hey just remember this is still a date ok. You're there to torture him not her,"

"Gotcha dad," He said trying to leave before puck pulled him back again.

"And we got invitationals in 5 days so don't do anything stupid with your voice" Puck added.

"Okay." He told him. "Later mom,"

"Bye sweetie" Rachel said trying to keep her voice normal.

They heard the door slam shut. And for a few moments the music was the only thing to fill up the silence. Rachel cleared her throat. "What are you making?"

"Eggplant parmesan just how you like," He said. Rachel just nodded her head in response. "And I got some wine for us," He said pulling it out of the fridge and bringing two glasses over. He popped the cork and poured them both a glass.

She took her glass and took a small sip with him. Puck sighed. "What's wrong?" He finally asked her.

"Nothing," She said trying to make her voice normal.

"Did you really want them here for dinner? Cause if you did I'll call them back and we'll do a big old happy family dinner bit"

"No, it's not that Noah really," She said

"Then what is it. Cause I'm not gonna sit here with you moping all night and killing the mood," He joked.

Rachel sighed. "She's dating?" She finally said. "That just took me by surprise, I guess."

Puck ran his hand through her hair awkwardly. "Well you had to know this was coming. He came up and asked me man to man. The boy couldn't keep his eyes off her for two seconds. Plus she's 16 now and you know,"

"I do." She said quietly. "I just thought that maybe you would tell me. You know see how I felt about it or something. You know it's a big moment and you didn't include me. Did you take pictures or help her get ready."

"No, I didn't do any of that shit. It wasn't like that. Look I don't want to fight okay. You're here. You look fucking gorgeous. Just…let's not fight over little shit now,"

"I just want to know why you wouldn't tell me about our daughter dating. It's not little Noah, it's big. You know how that makes me feel as a mother. Not being there to give my advice or in put. You know I didn't have a mother and I didn't want her going through things like that alone."

Puck turned back to the food and avoided her gaze. He tried to keep his voice even and as unthreatening as possible. "I know you didn't, babe. And I'm really sorry but you weren't here and I had to do something to save her birthday."

It was quiet for a few beats before Rachel could respond. "So that's what this is about. What are you trying to like punish me because I couldn't make it? Because that's really low Noah even for you."

Puck turned around to face her. "Fuck! No, I wasn't trying to punish you or whatever other crazy shit you're thinking. But the fact is she failed her test and the one thing she really wanted wasn't going to be there. So what the fuck was I supposed to do Rachel?" He stopped himself. "I don't wanna do this shit." He said "Just drop it,"

"I want you to know that I tried Noah. Despite whatever you're thinking about me I tried," She didn't know what she was doing. She knew she needed to drop this before they ended up really fighting but she couldn't. She had to justify herself. Let him know that she wasn't the bad guy.

Puck just sighed. "Yeah, well not hard enough," he mumbled.

Rachel got up from her chair and met him face to face. "Not hard enough? I left rehearsal and went straight to the hotel that night. I was gonna drive back at eleven that night so I could be here only for a few hours then drive back in the morning. And I would have been here if the stupid car would start. So don't tell me I didn't try."

"Something's wrong with the car?" Noah asked momentarily taken out of the heat of the argument that was brewing. "What's wrong with it? How did you get here?"

"I don't know it just wouldn't start when I tried to come home last week. Jesse called a mechanic and took care of the whole thing." She said taking a calming breath and backing down from the fight as well. Maybe this was stupid. She realized she said something wrong about a half a second too late.

"Wait, something was wrong with the car and you had St. Douche take of it?" He took a step back from her.

"No, it wasn't like that. I fell asleep and he just made some arrangements to have the car fixed on the weekend."

"You fell asleep? Where in his bed? Is that how you get him to take care of shit?" Puck said harshly

"Noah…" She said in a warning tone. This was going down a very dangerous path.

"No, don't Noah me. This is bull shit! You get pissed at me for me for letting Sarah date. Something I only did to cover for your clusterfuck on her birthday. But then you go right around and not tell me about my own fucking car not working and have this asshole pay for it. Its bull shit Rachel and you know it!"

"Bull shit!" She questioned. "What's bull shit is that you don't tell me anything Noah. It's like you cut me out of everyone's lives the second I left Lima. I didn't know she didn't get her license, Noah. I didn't know that invitational was next week. I didn't even know that Caleb could do dishes because you don't tell me anything!"

"They're your fucking kids! Why should I have to tell you? If you talked to them every once in while you'd know this shit." He said walking over to the stove and turning it off. "And don't come at me with that bull shit. I don't tell you shit because you don't care."

"Ooh I don't care," she scoffed

"Yeah you bounced off to Chicago and just said fuck you to the rest of us. I've been doing this on my own for the past three months with no support from you."

"I don't support you?" She questioned.

"Yeah I said it,"

"You don't support me!" She shouted at him. This was full-fledge fight now. Neither one of them was really listening. It was just pointless stabbing and throwing things in each other's face. They haven't had one this bad in years.

"Bull shit I don't support you?" He said slamming down the oven mit. "That's all I've ever done. That's all I still do. That's what this damn whole thing is about. You running off with that son of a bitch and being famous while I take care of all the shit you left at home."

Rachel was so angry she didn't know what to do. If she were wearing shoes she'd throw one right now. But she wasn't so she had to throw the closest thing she had to her. She picked up the wine glass and hurled it at his head. His many years of practiced allowed him to be able to dodge it and it shattered on the cabinet behind him. "What are you fucking crazy?" He yelled.

"Jesse was right," she shouted back "You don't understand anything that I go through and you never will. You don't support my career or even respect it. You have no idea how hard I have work because it's beyond your capability to comprehend"

"Oh so that's why you're fucking St. Douche? And here I was thinking it was just for your career," He said sarcastically.

"I'm not fucking anyone!" She yelled back at him. "Jesse understands me. He knows what's what it takes. And he's supported me every step of the way. You don't get it Puck!" She yelled finally saying his name. Only this time he's too far gone for it to even affect him. "And you never will because-"

"Because I'm a lima loser, right?" he said quietly. "Right?" He yelled. "I'm a fucking Lima loser! I've never been anywhere or done anything with my life and you can't stand it because that makes you a Lima loser too!"

"I didn't say that," She said quietly

"You didn't have," He told her.

At that point they heard keys in the door. They took a moment to step back from each other and to catch their breath.

"Hello! Children are entering the house." Sarah yelled.

"Yes, please right your selves so we don't see anything traumatic," Caleb said

"Children are entering the kitchen and are hoping that parental units are properly dressed." Sarah said as they made their way to the kitchen.

When they got there they stood in the doorway and surveyed the seen. This was defiantly not what they were expecting. After so many years they've learned to survey a scene of a fight and by the looks of it mom and dad just got into a pretty big one. They took in the broken glass and the wine spilled. "Hey what happen?" Sarah asked curiously

"Oh…um," Rachel said clearing her throat. "I tripped and broke a glass. Its no big deal," She said to them.

"Okay?" Caleb said. Something was definitely off. "Well we got half way to his house when Chang decided to inform us that he has a sinus infection. And with Invitationals right around the corner we're not risking it. So we came home."

"Oh, but if you need us to we can, go upstairs, put our headphones on and pretend like we're not here so you can get back to your night."

"No, that's fine sweetie. I'd love to spend some time with you guys." Rachel said walking up to her children not even bothering to meet Noah in the eye. "Why don't we just order a pizza and watch a movie?" She suggested.

"Okay?" Sarah said confused looking between her mother and her father. She gave a look to Caleb and he just shrugged.

"You guys go head. I'll clean this up and order the pizza," Puck finally spoke.

The rest of the night was filled with awkward tension that they all pretended wasn't there. Rachel and Noah didn't speak or make eye contact. Caleb and Sarah caught on soon enough that their parents weren't happy with each other. They tried to do the best they could to smooth out the night but it didn't work.

That night while Rachel and Puck were in their room getting ready for bed, he finally broke the silence. "Look I'll go sleep in the guest room if you want, just to make things easier."

She looked up at him in the bathroom mirror and met his eyes for the first time since the fight. They haven't had a fight like this in years. Not big enough for Noah to sleep else where. Even after a fight she would crawl downstairs or into the guess room or wherever he was and fall asleep. This felt so strange. "I don't want you to go," She told him quietly.

Puck just nodded and headed to get in the bed. When she was done; she shut off the light and climbed in on the other side. In the dark he reached out and pulled her into his arms like they always slept before she left.

"I love you," He told her quietly

"I love you too," She told him back.

And for right then it was the only thing that mattered. They'd deal with the rest of it in the morning.

* * *

**Okay really! What did you expect? But things will get better I promise. AND next chapter Caleb gets some love so that'll brighten our moods.**

**To answer one question. I don't know how long this is going to be. At this point I'm hoping 20 chapters but we'll see if the characters will let that happen. BUT I will be updating more regularly. **

**I hope everyone enjoys. Please please please review. Let me know if you hate it or love it or feel blah about it. Review and say a nice welcome back to me. Tell me if I still got my writing groove or not. **

**That's all for now. **

**Thank you! Review!**


	12. Hurt

**WOW.**

**I sure has been a while. Two years I think. Okay first I want to say I'm so so so sorry for ignoring this fic for as long as I have. I had a lot of personal stuff go down in my life over the past couple of years including but not limited to: being homeless, losing my job, starving for a few weeks, relocating to a different state, crashing on a friends couch for a few months etc. I don't want to bore you with the details but I'm back and I here to finish this story. **

**Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to everyone who reviewed while I was gone. Thank you for your encouragement. While I was having a rough time that really helped me pull through. Shout out to xxPrettyReckless for the PM. It was super encouraging. And a huge thank you and shout out to my beta and friend ****RedSatinBlackSilk that kept me sane and told me that it is never too late to finish a story. Thanks.  
**

**So I thought about doing a whole recap of what happened last time but I figured if you needed a recap you could re-read the story. You've waited long enough...**

* * *

It was the sound of pots and pans banging around in the kitchen that woke him up. Caleb winced at the noise that only increased the size of his headache. He tried to swallow but his throat was too dry. His stomach did a back flap and he his brain tried to pound out of his head. Yup he'd felt this before. He was hungover.

Not that he regretted his actions from last night. Not at all. This week had been so shitty. He failed a math test, burned dinner twice, fucked up his solo at the fall invitational and to top it all off his parents still weren't really talking to each other.

Sunday morning breakfast was awkward as fuck. He wasn't fucking stupid. He and Sarah both knew their parents had been fighting before they walked in. That much was clear. What they didn't know was what the fight was about and if it was important enough for them to hold onto. Apparently that answer was yes. Seeing as his dad was more grouchy than usual and when his mom called for her weekly check in she always managed to hang up before the phone got passed back to dad. They were at a lost.

So by time it was Friday he just didn't give a fuck. He was going to a party and getting drunk off his ass. BJ Button was gonna be there and she'd wanted to get with him for a while. So not only did he get wasted he also ended the night with a decent blow job. (Not the best that he's had but defiantly top five. BJ lived up to her reputation.) He finally managed to sneak into the house around four this morning but was too drunk to go all the way upstairs so he crashed on the couch. It had been a perfect Friday night if you ask him.

Only now it was being ruined by all the fucking noise coming from the kitchen. Caleb rolled to his side and fell off the couch. A piece of paper was stuck to his head. He pulled it off and squinted at the words.

"Just give me a reason. Just a little bits enough. Just a second we're not broken just bent and we can learn to love again."

Huh sounded like song lyrics. Not bad for being written in a drunken state of mind. It took a moment for him to realize how he ended up on the floor before he pulled himself up and headed to kitchen to see what all the noise was about.

When he got there he was shocked to see who it was. To be honest it was the last person he'd expect to be in his kitchen on a Saturday morning.

"Auntie Satan?" He asked confused.

His aunt looked up from the bowl of batter she was mixing.

"You look like shit" She commented before she walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a Gatorade. She tosses it to him and headed back to her batter. "Fun night?" She asked while she added more ingredients.

Caleb just scratched his head and looked down at his drink confused. "Um…Yeah you could say that." He looked around at the clock and noticed that it was almost seven. "What are you doing here so early? Where's Uncle Finn?"

"He's not here" She said focused on her batter.

Caleb scrubbed him hands over his face to make this whole thing makes sense. His Aunt shifted around the kitchen and started made pancakes with her batter. As she went to grab more eggs out of the fridge and he noticed what she looked like. She was in sweat pants, a baggy t-shirt and had one of those weird hospital bracelets on. Her hair was in a sloppy pony tail and she looked really tired. On top of all that her eyes were really read and puffy. As she shifted over to the fridge to grab some more eggs that's when he noticed it. Her baby bump looked smaller than it did last time he saw her.

And all of a sudden it all made sense. He knew why she was there.

Caleb cleared his throat a little. "Are you…okay?" He asked.

She still refused to look at him as she made another pancake. She was quiet for a while before she answered. "You should go get cleaned up. Breakfast will be done soon." She went back to her task and never once looked up at him.

Caleb stood there awkwardly for a moment before deciding to leave the kitchen. He wasn't really sure what to do and to be honest he was still a little fuzzy from last night. He grabbed his Gatorade and climbed the stairs headed straight to his parents room. His dad would know what to do.

When he walked in, his dad was passed out on his back. Since his mom has been gone his dad has been sleeping like shit. Now normally he would back off and let his dad get some rest but somehow right now felt like an emergency. So he walked right over and shook his dad awake.

"Caleb?" He dad said. Confused and groggy he looked over at the clock. "Why the hell are you waking me up at 7 in the morning on a Saturday?"

"Aunt Santana is here" He told him simply.

"Okay tell her ass to wait. She knows her way around" Puck said and tried to turn back over to go back to sleep.

"No. Dad she's here by herself. Uncle Finn's not here and she looks…." Caleb paused. "I think she …" He couldn't find the words and thankfully he didn't have to. Pucks eyes snapped open.

He sat up in his bed and scrubbed his hands over his face. He turned to Caleb and got a good look at him "You look like shit" He told him. And Caleb rolled his eyes as his dad got out of bed and put a shirt on.

Caleb followed him as he made his way to the door. "Okay so what's the plan? What do we do?"

Puck turned to him. "I'm gonna go down and talk to her. You're gonna wake up your sister and both of you are going to stay up here till I call you down. Got it?"

Caleb nodded and started toward his sister's room. Puck stopped him. "And maybe you should take a shower too." He nodded again as Puck headed down stairs.

Here's the deal, this isn't the first time Auntie San has showed up at their doorstep broken and alone. In fact it was a pretty common thing growing up. At first the Puckerman children didn't understand why their aunt would turn up out the blue and spend a few weeks with them before their uncle would show up and take her home. Then one day when Caleb was 12 and had just been through sex ed he finally understood. He began to understand why the Hudson's would be so happy about his aunt being pregnant and how they never saw a baby.

For the most part after that he and Sarah just pretended not to know. They would be on their best behavior for Auntie San on her long visits. Make her laugh and smile like she used to. As he got a little older he understood why Uncle Finn never came. Auntie San was here to get herself back together. And Uncle Finn was home getting rid of all the stuff for the baby they would never see. It sucked and each time she showed up like this Caleb prayed it was the last.

He sighed deeply before going into his sister's room and shaking her. "Wake up asshat."

Sarah woke up startled and squinted at him. "What do you want?"

"Auntie San is here" he delivered the news. She looked at him confused. "by herself."

Sarah sat for moment and let it sink in. Her face fell. "Not again" He only nodded and sat at her desk chair. "But they were so far." He shrugged and made no comment. "You look like shit" she said noticing his appearance.

"So I've heard"

"What are we going to do? What's the plan?"

"Dad said he was going to handle it"

"Dad?" She said getting up. "Are we sure dad is capable of handling a Code S all on his own? I mean shouldn't we call mom?"

Caleb just shrugged again. "I don't know. He said we need to stay up here till he calls us down. I mean him and auntie San are pretty much the same person. He should be fine."

"Fuck it we got more important shit to do" Sarah said as she grabbed the laptop off the desk and went to sit back down on her bed. He raised a curious eye brow to his sister. "I've done some research and I think I know who our mystery home wrecker is"

"What? You're still on that? I thought we aborted all that" Caleb said.

"No. We didn't abort anything. We had some temporary setbacks and had to lay low for a while but the investigation is still on.

Caleb opened his mouth to argue but soon realized he didn't have much energy to fight her on this. "What'd you find?" He sighed in defeat.

Sarah smiled in victory. She opened her laptop and started clicking away. "Well we got two names from dad's office and after some research I think one of them is our whore."

"Do you have to call her a whore?"

"If she's screwing my dad while he's still married to my mom and poses a threat to make me a byproduct of a broken home, I reserve the right to call her whatever the hell I want." Sarah snapped at him. "Anyway, I researched the first name and cross checked the William McKinley data base and I found this"

Sarah turned the screen around to reveal a large tough looking woman with brown hair and glasses. "Lauren Zizes. Former McKinley High student class of 2012, just like dad. She was part of the McKinley high New Directions glee club from 2010 to 2011, where they made it to nationals and lost. She also ran for and lost Prom queen back in 2011. Guess who ran with her for king? Noah Puckerman."

"Okay stop" Caleb said getting a little nauseous. "No way is dad fucking this chick over mom."

"Well of course he's not." Sarah said. "First she's a lot larger than the woman I saw at the movies. Second her hair is brown and we are looking for a blonde. And lastly she lives in Florida where she coaches college wrestling."

"How the hell do you find all this stuff?" He asked her in disbelief.

"I have my ways" She said brushing the comment aside. "Anyway I know this isn't the bitch we're looking for." Sarah pulled the computer back to her and clicked away some more before she turned it back around to show him the screen. "This is the bitch that's fucking dad"

On the screen was pretty blond woman. She had to be in her early twenties and she was gorgeous.

"Meet Beth Corcoran. Twenty years old. Graduated salutatorian of Valley Rock High school in Valley Rock Iowa where she spent her days competing in scholastic decathlons and science fairs. She then went on to Stanford University when she declared her double major in biology and chemistry. She ended her sophomore year with a whopping 3.8 GPA."

"And that matters because?"

"Wait I'm just about to get to fun part. She's recently transferred and relocated to Ohio where she was took summer courses at the Ohio State University. And registered for the fall semester. I couldn't find anything about her home life but I do know that she's a Beiber fan and is afraid of heights"

"And you think she is having an affair with our father?" Caleb asked skeptically.

"It makes sense. Pretty young blond science girl thinks it would be a fun 'experiment' to hook up with the older hot football trainer behind his wife's back. It's a lifetime movie waiting to happen." She tells him.

"I don't buy it" Caleb told her.

"What!"

"I mean come on. Yeah she's pretty but she's not mom."

"Maybe dad wanted a new toy to play with" Sarah said bitterly.

"Bull shit. He loves mom and he loves us." Caleb defended. Sarah scoffed at him but he just continued on. "Plus something doesn't add up in her story. Why would she transfer from Stanford to OSU out of the blue?"

"Maybe they have better funding or a Biochemistry program. Maybe she moved for the football team or maybe even the football trainer. She could have been stalking him and planning this all along. How the hell am I supposed to know?" Sarah said getting impatient with her brother. "The point is all signs point to her and dad cheating. There is our proof."

"That's not proof at all." Caleb said back. "Okay yeah she's hot. And yes, she just so happens to go to same school dad works at and happens to be blonde like the girl you saw at the movies. That doesn't prove that he's cheating and it doesn't prove that it's with her. She has no other connection to dad besides going to same school."

"Then why did dad have her name and number!" Sarah snapped back.

"I don't know. Maybe to tutor one of the players or maybe she wanted to help out with the team. Hell maybe she is one of the guy's girlfriends."

"Say what you want. Something is going on with the two of them" She said stubbornly.

"Maybe there is something going on. But that doesn't mean dad is having sex with her or plans on having sex with her. We need to find out more about this before we start making accusations and ripping things apart worse than our parents are!" Caleb shouted.

They were effetely silenced by his outburst. They listened for a few moments to see if their dad or aunt had here them and after minutes of nothing they relaxed.

Sarah sighed. "I'm sorry. I just…I don't know what else to do. I'm trying to be proactive and helpful. I … don't want everything to go to shit and feels like nothing we do is working. I just-"

"I know. I feel it too. And believe me I'm trying to think of what we can do to just…fix this already. But accusing dad? He wouldn't do that to us. This Beth chick, or whoever she is, she's probably just another student. No way is she fucking our dad. So can we just relax with the conspiracy theory? At least until we find out more about her?"

Sarah nodded. "Okay fine. I'll back off. But we're gonna get to the bottom of whoever this Beth chick is. I don't know why but I just have a feeling about her."

"Well too bad you're not psyche like mom" Caleb joked.

Sarah's face fell. "Speaking of mom, I have some more bad news." Sarah said as she turned the laptop back around to herself and clicked again. "Now just so you know I wasn't looking for this. I was just browsing. I wanted to see what people were saying about mom and her show. What I found however was this."

Sarah turned the laptop around to show him. It took Caleb a moment to realize what he was looking at. The first thing he noticed was it was a website for Broadway gossip. The second thing he noticed was the head line "Broadway's Bad Boy has Found A New Leading Lady". The third thing he noticed was the huge picture of Saint Douche getting out of a fancy car holding hands with some Lady. Then it hit him. That wasn't just some lady. That was his mom.

"What the fuck?!" He said as he snatched the computer away from his sister so he could read the article. It was all about Jesse St fuckface James and how he's been all over Chicago with the new lead of his show. It mentioned how they are always holding hands or cuddling. How Jesse takes her out for romantic late night dinners and buys her expensive gifts. It mentioned his mom. Rachel Berry: the Lima glee coach and old love of his. It ended the thing with a lame line about rekindling the past. "Bull shit! They don't even fucking mention the fact that she married!"

"That's cause I don't think they know. Look at the pictures" Sarah said.

Caleb scrolled down and saw tons of pictures of his mom and fuckface. Eating. Laughing. Holding hands. Him whispering in her ear. Kissing her cheek or forehead. It made him sick. His eyes zeroed in on her left hand and noticed the lack of ring that should be there. "Fuck! What the hell is she thinking?" Sarah just shrugged. Caleb scrolled though the pictur_es _some more until he noticed one of the dates on it. "Wait a minute. Look at date on this picture." Caleb said and flipped the computer back over to his sister.

Sarah glanced at the picture of Rachel dressed up like Maria with Jesse's arm around her. She looked under at the date and caption. "Are you shitting me?! My birthday? This was taken on my fucking birthday? What the hell?"

Caleb got up out of the chair and started to pace the room. He needed to move around. This was a lot to take in. Not only did he have to deal with shady secrets with his dad but it seemed as if his mom wasn't completely innocent either. What the hell did all of this mean? Do they just not care about each other anymore? Did they not care about him and Sarah? Cause when this shit blows up it's not just gonna affect his parents. All of them are gonna deal with the consequences. Didn't they realize that or even care?

"She's not fucking him." Caleb said more to reassure himself than his sister. "These people have to make up stories and lies about this to keep people interested that all. It's just some fake love story to sell the show." Caleb continued to pace the room and talk this out.

"Well these pictures look pretty fucking real to me." Sarah said. "And it felt pretty real when mom wasn't here on my birthday or here when we got arrested. Which according to this picture she was out having Chicago's finest steak that night. God how could she do this to us? To dad?"

"She didn't" Caleb defended. "Not yet. And maybe fuckface wants to fuck her she hasn't fucked him yet and that still counts for something."

"I bet that's what the fight was about." Sarah asked ignoring him "Dad suspects and got pissed with her about it. Maybe that's why he's been hanging around this Beth girl: Payback for mom fucking fuckface."

"Shut up!" Caleb said and stopped pacing long enough to give her a long stare. "He didn't fuck anybody and neither did she. They love each other. They just have to remember that." Caleb walked up to her and slammed the laptop closed. "Look those pictures are bullshit. They aren't real. And yes maybe some of it is but most of it isn't. And dad hasn't done shit but stuck around and tried to keep things moving while mom is away. That man is fucking killing himself to keep things together. We're not gonna blame them for shit. We're gonna help them. Cause fuck it that's what family does. So just stop. And help me fix this." He asked desperately.

Sarah stopped and looked at the anger and confusion in her brothers eyes. She knew he didn't fully believe everything as much as he wanted to and it scared him that he couldn't. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down to sit next to her on the bed. That was her own way of saying sorry. They were in this together. After a few moments they both calmed down and sat in silence. "What's the plan?"

* * *

"You wanna talk about it?"

Puck walked into the kitchen quietly and sat on the stool at the counter. Santana heard him come in and didn't acknowledge him. She focused on flipping her pancakes.

"If I wanted to talk about it, I'd be talking"

"San…"

"Don't"

"It's going to be okay" Puck said getting off the stool to walk to her.

"I said don't" She said as she turned around to face him harshly. "I don't wanna talk about it. I don't wanna fucking think about it! And I sure as shit don't want your bullshit hugs. I don't need you tell me it's gonna be okay. Or that it'll get better. If I wanted all that I'd be at home with Finn."

"Then what do you want" He asked her and took the pancake batter out of her hands. He set it down on the counter and switched off the stove.

"I just wanna forget. Just let me make my damn pancakes and forget."

Puck stared at her for a long moment. Santana was one of the toughest people in the world. Even tougher than most of the guys he knew. But there was pain in her eyes and no matter how tough she tried to act that pain was always there. It was the pain a person feels when a little piece inside of her breaks. The pain of a woman when she lost a baby. He didn't make any further comment. Puck just opened his arms and pulled her into a hug.

She went willingly. For all her talk about not wanting anything from him she clung to him like a life line. She broke and sobbed uncontrollably. He just held her, shushed her, smoothed her hair and soothed her. He sagged a little under her weight and ended up sliding them both down onto the kitchen floor.

After what seemed like an eternity of crying she finally calmed enough to speak in a small voice laced thick with emotion. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing" Puck told her. He still held her to his chest. "Nothing is wrong with you. This shit just happens."

"Bull shit" She said mumbled against his chest. "I've lost." Her breath caught in her throat. "I've lost nine children in the past Fourteen years of our marriage. Bull shit nothing's wrong with me"

"San-"

"I'm being punished. It's karma or some shit. I was such a fucking slut in high school and destroyed so many lives that now I can never…"She began to sob again.

There was a time in his life when he would do anything in the world to avoid a crying chick but that was back when he was a punk ass kid that didn't know shit about life and pain. Now he was a man and understood. Santana was his friend. And right now she needed him more than ever. So Puck just rocked her again until she was all cried out and the moment passed.

"Maybe it's what I deserve" She mused out loud.

"No. Come on San you don't really believe that?" He asked in disbelief. She shrugged

"Finn thinks I need to go to therapy. That all this has traumatized me or some shit." She sniffed into his chest.

"Let me guess? You told him to go fuck himself" he chuckled.

"Hell yeah. I know what bull shit a therapist is going to tell me. I AM a fucking Psychiatrist. I'm not traumatized or any other bull shit. I'm just…" She cut herself off. "He just doesn't get it."

Puck nodded emphatically. "He's hurting too. He probably just wants to find a way to fix this"

"He wants to fix me." She says firmly. "But he can't. And I hate that I'm the one hurting him and doing all this shit to us. I hate that we have to go through this. I just wish I could be better. He deserves so much more than this and me and…" The tears start to flow from her eyes again. "Finns supposed to be a dad. You know. There are just some people in this world that are meant to do things and Finn is meant to be a dad. And I hate the look in his eyes every time we lose a child. I hate that I can't give him that. That I'm so broken and no one can seem to understand why…"

"Hey." Puck says shushing her as she started to get hysterical again. "There is nothing wrong with you Santana. You hear me?" He lifted her chin up to look him in the eye. "There is not a God damned thing wrong with you." She opened her mouth to protest but he just cuts her off. "Look I don't know why you keep miscarrying. I don't know why you and Finn have to go through this. Honestly it's fucked up and two people as amazing as you shouldn't have to feel the pain that you've both felt over the past few years." Santana takes a moment to dip her head back to his chest. "But I do know that this isn't your fault. You're not broken and there is nothing wrong with you. It's just…life. And sometimes life is complete and utter bull shit but you gotta take it anyway. Life killed Finns dad before he was even born and gave me a dead beat one. Life put Artie in a fucking wheel chair. Life killed Rachel's parents in a car crash. Life is why you can't have a baby" He wiped away at some of the tears on her cheeks. "And you wanna know what? Some other fuckers out there they let life kick their ass. They throw their hands up and let life do whatever the fuck it wants. But people like you and me?" He waited until Santana looked up into his eyes again. "We give life the finger. Life hits us, we hit it back and say is that the best you got. We don't play by life's rules. We make up our own. And I know you're gonna cry and you're gonna be sad for a little while and that's okay. But I also know that eventually you're gonna get up, go back home to Finn and say a big fuck you to life. I know it's gonna be okay."

"How do you know?" Santana asked in a small voice.

"Because you're right. Some people are meant to do things. You say Finns meant to be a dad… but I think you're meant to be a mom. You're gonna be a badass mom one day. It's going to happen."

"And if it doesn't"

"It will. Some things are meant to be. And when life tries to screw us over and cheat us out of what's rightfully ours, we call it a 'bitch' and find a way to make it happen anyway." He gently kissed her forehead and leaned back.

They sat on the kitchen floor in silence until Santana finally spoke again. "Life's a bitch."

* * *

Rachel adjusted her body on the floor of the empty stage. She widened her legs and leaned forward to relish in the stretch. It was bright and early on a Saturday morning. She had wanted to warm up and practice before the full dance rehearsal scheduled in a few hours. Rachel always enjoyed the stage when it was like this: quiet and dark. No fancy lighting or costumes just her and the empty seats before the stage. This was the most peace she's felt since she's been back from visit home last weekend.

She still didn't know how she felt about that. She loved seeing the kids. Caleb and Sarah have grown so much. And the physical time she spent with Noah was wonderful. Rachel blushed as she thought about the hours spent in bed. They were so connected physically; it was as if nothing had ever happened. Like they didn't spend months apart missing each others touch.

But then there was the fight. Where they threw every hateful thing they could at each like knives. They cut with the truth and in the end all that was left was hurt. She couldn't stop thinking about that fight. First he called her selfish. Did he really think she was selfish? He didn't feel supported. He felt like she wasn't there. Maybe he had a point and she should try to call more. But there is only so much she could do from Chicago. And did he really think she would sleep with Jesse for a career. She knows her husband and of course he has always been one to spew awful things when his temper was pressed. But somehow it hurt that he could think she was really capable of betraying their marriage like that.

Something else really stuck with her from the fight. Did he think she thought he was Lima loser? Rachel hated when Noah would call himself that. She hates that the evil woman ever put that thought in his head and made him feel anything less than the wonderful man that he was. But really was she as bad as Quinn? Had they grown so far apart that he didn't even know her intentions any more.

Rachel sighed as she switched to stretch her other side. Of course she had her own frustrations with him as well. She had meant it when she said she felt like he cut her out of their lives. Like he couldn't trust her any more. To put it simply it hurt. Plus she is dealing with a lot out here by herself and he could be a little sensitive to that as well. And what did he mean when-

The back doors of the theater opened. Rachel looked up from her stretches to see who had come in. No one was normally here this early. Maybe Clinton had some last minute blocking to plan or Joe the light guy wanted to fix a leko. She squinted and tried to make out the shadowy figure that walked toward her.

"I went by your room back at the hotel but you weren't there. I figured I'd find you here."

"Jesse?" Rachel asked unsure until moments later he came into view. He casually walked down the aisle of the theater and onto the stage to meet her. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Well Ms. Berry, I just received some wonderful news and I wanted you to be the first person I shared it with." Jesse said as he walked over to Rachel and sat right next to her where she was stretching.

Rachel couldn't ignore how he took the time to let his eyes roam over her body. She cleared her throat to get his attention back. "News?"

"Right," Jesse gave a nervous cough. "Guess who was just invited to sing on the Broadway float at this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade?"

"Oh my god!" Rachel said excited. She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Congratulations!"

Jesse laughed and hugged her back. "Yeah I'm floored. This is a big honor. I mean I knew there were talks but I just got the call this morning."

Rachel pulled back and pushed him playfully. "Well what did you expect Mr. Tony award winner?" Jesse shrugged and stretched back on the stage. Rachel followed suit and laid back next to him. They both stared up at the lights for a moment until more thoughts bubbled in Rachel's head. "What are you going to sing? You have to go with a classic but something that can still relate to the modern audience of this generation"

Jesse cleared his throat and looked over at her. "I was actually thinking about maybe doing a duet."

Rachel scrunched her nose in confusion. She looked at him for answers. "A duet? I guess it could work but who would you perform with? We both know that musical chemistry is very important when performing a duet."

"I was actually thinking about asking the star of the up-coming revival of West Side Story to sing with me." He told her with a little smile on his face.

It took a moment for Rachel to fully process what he had said. "You want me to sing with you on the Broadway float during the Macy's day Parade?" She asked for confirmation

Jesse shrugged. "Sure. It gets your face out there. It'd be great publicity for the show. And most importantly musical chemistry is a must when performing a duet. You said so yourself. "

Rachel's eyes filled with tears. She couldn't believe it. "Oh my God. Jesse" She said flinging herself into his arms. "I can't believe it. This is…wow. I can't even believe this is real."

He hugged her tighter to him and laughed at her babbling. She laughed too and looked up into his eyes. "Thank you." She told him.

"You are very welcome. I told you I wanted to give you everything you deserve." He said.

And he leaned in…

Rachel saw it. She knew what his intention was. She tried to move but she felt slow, sluggish. This was wrong. His arms wrapped around her felt wrong. He wanted to kiss her but it was wrong.

The back doors of the theater suddenly opened again. Rachel took that moment to separate herself from Jesse and sit up. The space was much needed. Jesse sat up as well and they both looked at each other. Clinton came into view moments later.

"You're both here early?" He asked in a bored tone but his eyes held suspicion.

"Rachel was practicing and I'm only here waiting for business." Jesse lied coolly.

"Right. Well don't mind me. I'll just be over at costumes talking Jets and Sharks. I could probably use you Jesse" Clinton said as he gave Jesse a pointed look before he left out the side door of the theater.

"I should probably go check in with him" Jesse said as he got to his feet.

"Right" Rachel said and stood as well to watch him walk away. Another thought hit her. Noah, the fight, everything came rushing back to her head. "Jesse." She called him back. "As much of an honor this is and I truly grateful for it, I'm not sure if I'll be able to perform with you."

"Why not?"

"I need to check with my husband and make sure we don't have any family plans." She told him.

Jesse stared at her for a moment and laughed. "Wow you sounded serious with that one."

"I am" She told him

"Rachel come on this is… I mean you have to do it. I bet even Clinton would agree."

"Clinton is not my husband." Rachel said surprised at the shaky quality her voice took. "And although everyone else may not know about them, I still have a family to think about. I'm not gonna leave Noah out of this decision." She told him.

He looked like he wanted to argue but thought it better not to. "I need to know by the end of the week so that arrangements can be made."

"I'll let you know when we have our answer." She told him before she sank back to floor to finish her stretches.

Jessie watched her for a moment. "Just remember. The Rachel Berry I knew didn't let these kinds of…distractions hold her back from her career. She understood that to be the best she sometimes had to make sacrifices. And she didn't let anyone or anything stand in the way of her dreams. Just think about that." He gave her one last glance before he retreated. Rachel tried not the wince when the door slammed behind her.

* * *

"Hey asshole"

Caleb heard someone shout to him on his way to class. No not just someone. The one person on the whole planet he wished would just disappear. He ignored the comment and just kept walking.

"Hello. I'm talking to you" Courtney said as she caught up to him.

Caleb sighed to himself before he turned around to face her. He tried to brace himself against how hot she looked. Tried to force his brain to make his hormones understand that no matter how hot she looked, she was an evil bitch that broke his heart and was not to be trusted.

"Who me?" He answered her coolly.

"Do you see any other assholes around here?" She sneered.

"Just one" He said looking her up and down. "What do you want?"

"To remind you that we are over and we are never gonna get back together"

Caleb gave her a look like she was stupid. "Yeah…I think I could have figured that one out on my own."

"Really? Cause all the drunk texts you sent me Friday night would suggest otherwise."

Shit. Caleb thought. Did he really? He couldn't remember much after BJ gave him a bj. Maybe he could have. Or she could be bluffing to make him look stupid. Some other trap she's come up with to ruin his life and gain control of the glee club. Play it cool.

"I don't know what you're talking about" He pretended to be bored.

Courtney just scoffed and pulled out her phone. "Really? So maybe there is some other Caleb Puckerman that text me at 4 am saying 'Just give me a reason. Just a little bits enough. Just a second we're not broken just bent and we can learn to love again?"

Caleb's heart sank. Did he really send that to her? Shit! The lyrics he found Saturday morning. Maybe he sent them to her too. He didn't even remember. Courtney just kept reading. "I never stopped. You're still written on the scars of my heart."

He started to breath rapidly. And before he knew it a crowd had started to gather. Those were his words. His drunk words but his none the less and she was putting them out there for everyone to hear. He sounded so weak.

Here's the deal. He's written songs before: a lot actually. With a rock star father and a diva mother what else would you expect? It was his release. His one way to just let go of all the shit in his head and connect with the music. But he's never actually had the guts to let anyone hear his music. That was private.

Until Now

"Any of that sound familiar to you?" She asked condescendingly. She knew she had him. "There's more on here if you need to hear it. About How sorry you are and talking in your sleep." He glared at Courtney and her smug smile. To think, he actually though he was in love with her. How could he have not seen that she is pure evil birthed out of the vagina of Satan? "Caleb let me make this very clear. You and I are no longer together."

He looked around. The crowd was hooked. God he hated high schoolers. A bunch of gossip sharks ready to attack at the first scent of blood. No doubt this whole thing would be spread throughout the hall ways by the end of the day.

Courtney continued "I know I broke up with you but you're going to have to move on and stop pining after me." She said loud and dramatically.

The whispers of the crowd began and Courtney smirked at him sensing an easy defeat. But fuck that. She wanted to play. He could play.

The way Caleb saw it he had two outs in this situation. The Bitch or the Asshole. The bitch was simple. He'd expose her for the bitch she is to the whole crowd. Make them see her for the pure evil she is. However after she gave the first attach the bitch might seem a little _too_ defensive.

Time for the Asshole. It was Simple. He'd just play if off and be the asshole everyone thinks he is. Showtime.

Caleb gave her a little smile and started to chuckle. "Wow. I must have been really fucked up Friday night to send my sext to wrong person." He ran his hand though his hair and laughed at his own stupidity.

"What?" She asked confused.

Caleb looked up and caught her eye. "Oh you thought those were meant for you?" He laughed. "Those were for BJ. We were sexting the whole night. I wanted her to give me reason not to fuck her. I was letting her know what I was going to do to her. I was gonna bend her so hard she would think she was broken. I wasn't going to stop and she was going to leave scars all over me." Caleb ran his hand seductively down his abs.

The people in the crowd started to smile. A couple boys fist pounded and the girls whispered to each other. Great now reel them in.

"Hell I thought she got them cause that pretty much how the night went. Well with a couple of extra detours." He pretended to think back and smiled at his fake memories. He snapped himself out and turned back to Courtney. "It's cute that you still think that I want you but let's be honest with ourselves here. You couldn't handle me. I'm too much for you. And you really don't have anything to offer me" He winked and turned the tables on her. "I also gotta say, kinda sad that you gotta cling to a couple of drunken sext to feel special but hey what every helps get you off at night. I don't judge. In fact, keep the sext: on the house."

The crowd chuckled at this. He was clearly winner. But he felt like a real dick. No matter how much of a bitch she was he still knew things about her that no one else did. For example, Courtney was always insecure about no one wanting her. It was only made worse when her father left her family about two months into their relationship. It was something they always dealt with while they were dating. He would have to tell her all the time that she was enough for him. It felt wrong to use that against her. But she started it and all is fair in love and war.

Courtney just stared at him. Hurt written clear on her face. "You're an asshole" she whispered before she shoved him out of the way and walked off.

And that's exactly how he felt when the jocks came up and slapped him on the back. Like one big asshole. Sure he'd won but it didn't feel half as good as it should have, especially since he'd seen the tears starting to well up in her eyes. He wanted to follow after her but he knew he couldn't.

* * *

Sarah looked down at her Biology homework. Since her partner was completely useless she figured she'd sneak off to the auditorium to try to get some work done before her next period. She liked coming to the auditorium. It was a place that she felt she could think. There was peace here.

Kinda ironic considering this is where her mother would go to hide out from jocks and cheerios tormenting her in high school. But she tried not to think about that. She started working out another problem when she heard a noise on the stage.

Was that crying? She thought she was in here alone. Then the music started to play and she heard a voice sing out with so much hurt.

_I try to find you at the bottom of the bottle_

_Lying down on the bathroom floor_

_My loneliness was wrangling windows_

_You say you don't want me anymore_

The person stepped forward to perform to the empty audience and Sarah saw who it was. Courtney. Crazy Courtney Cooper, the girl who single handedly ruined her brother's life, was singing to an empty auditorium about being lonely.

_And you left me_

_Standing on the corner crying_

_Feeling like a fool for trying_

_I don't even remember why _

_I'm wasting all these tears on you._

_I wish I could erase all memory_

_Cause you didn't give a damn about me._

_And finally I'm through_

_Wasting all these tears on you_

_These tears on you_

Sarah felt a mix of emotions right now. First she was shocked. She couldn't believe this cold heartless bitch was actually pouring her heart out in song. Second she was sympathetic. Courtney sounded so heart broken. The pain was real in her voice. Lastly she was angry. How dare she sing about being heart broken when she is the one that tries on a daily basis to ruin Caleb's life? This song better not be about him.

_You ain't worth another sleepless night_

_And I'll do everything I got to do to get you off my mind_

'_Cause what you wanted I couldn't give_

_What you did, boy I'll never forget_

Sarah slowly realized that Courtney was singing about her brother. But why? She is horrible to him all the time. They hate each other. How can she be singing about him breaking her heart?

_And you left me_

_Standing on the corner crying_

_Feeling like a fool for trying_

_I don't even remember why _

_I'm wasting all these tears on you._

_I wish I could erase all memory_

_Cause you didn't give a damn about me._

_And finally I'm through_

_Wasting all these tears on you_

Courtney's final notes of the song rang out and she more tears slide down her face. Sarah couldn't take it anymore. She stood up to let her presence be known and walked right over to crying girl.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Courtney said defensively as she wiped the tears from her eyes quickly.

"I could ask you the same question" Sarah shot right back.

"Whatever. I don't need this right now" Courtney said as she brushed past Sarah and tried to make a hasty exit.

"Who was the song about?" Sarah questioned her retreating form.

Courtney stopped and turned to look at her. "Who do you think the song was about?"

Sarah approached the girl. "Okay I don't get you. You broke up with him remember? You guys were the happy power couple of the school and then one day out of the blue you throw this big fit and break up with him. You broke _his_ heart. Not the other way around." Sarah said in defense of her broke.

Courtney scoffed. "Let me guess is that what he told?"

"No. He didn't talk about it. He still doesn't. He just moped around all summer. But I have eyes. I saw what happen myself. So why don't you just back off of him. I'm sick of you ruining his life. My brother is a great guy and he doesn't need a bitch like you dragging him down." Sarah yelled.

Courtney looked steadily into Sarah's eyes. "Your brother is a liar and a cheater. But I guess that just runs in your family."

Sarah felt like she got hit in the stomach. "What are you talking about?"

"Caleb cheated on me! That's why I broke up with him."

Sarah couldn't believe her ears. Caleb a cheater? He couldn't be. Sure he was a horny teenage boy but he wasn't a cheater. Was he? "You're lying" She declared defensively.

"Am I?" Courtney asked condescendingly "The whole time we went out we never had sex. We went pretty far but not all the way. I tried to. Once or twice but he always stopped us. At first I thought it was sweet. Until I realized I wasn't enough for him. He didn't want to sleep with me because he was already screwing two other girls on the side. Two girls that were more than happy to recount their exploits with him to anyone who would listen."

Sarah shook her head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Girls make up rumors about my brother all the time. That doesn't mean he did any of the stuff they say."

"Are you kidding? He's Caleb Puckerman. King of the school. Major player. I should have seen this coming. But I thought maybe, just maybe he was different with me." Courtney said with tears welling in her eyes again. "So that's why I followed him one Friday night and saw him going to a hotel with roses, his guitar, and an overnight bag."

"Oh my…he wouldn't" Sarah said

"He did" Courtney confirmed. "And you wanna know the sad part. He had the nerve to call me later that night. I just ignored him. I couldn't talk to him or think about him and on Monday morning I broke it off because it hurt too damn much." She said wiping the tears from her eyes again. "So you'll excuse me if I'm still a little pissed at Caleb Puckerman for breaking my heart. And I'm sorry but it still hurts to see him walk around with every other floozy in this school. I just want to forget him like he's forgotten me." She said as she turned and walked away again.

"I had no idea" Sarah said when Courtney reached the door.

Courtney stopped and looked at her. "Well now you do" She said before she left the auditorium.

* * *

The phone rang once, twice, three times. On the fourth Rachel was tempted to hang up before she heard-

"You're go for Puck"

She chuckled at his greeting. "Hi."

"Hi Rach." Puck sighed into the phone. "You mind telling me why you're calling my office phone instead of my cell?"

"I didn't think you'd answer if I called your cell." She said quietly "Would you've?"

Puck was quiet for a moment. "Maybe not" A few more awkward moments pass. "How have you been?"

"Good." Rachel said with fake enthusiasm. "The director and the cast are really starting to respect my talent and what I bring to the role. And the show is coming along really great."

Puck chuckled. "You know you always You try too hard when you lie. You come off extra excited and totally unbelievable"

"I miss you okay" Rachel sighs "I guess that part will never go away but I miss not just being with you. I miss talking to you. I miss having conversations. I miss my best friend." They were both quiet again as they thought about her words. "Well enough about me. How have you been?"

"Eh I'm living and breathing. Kids haven't burn down the house or got arrested recently so I guess I'm doing pretty well." Puck paused for a moment. "I miss you too Rach. But we both said some shit last time you were home and that stuff just doesn't go away."

"We were angry and hurt." She tried to reason.

"Yeah, I guess I forgot we can still hurt each other." He told her quietly.

"Of course we can. And we do. Noah you can hurt me more than anybody because you have the most of my heart."

"And you've got mine babe but I gotta be honest. I don't know what to say to you now. I mean we both laid our thoughts out there pretty clearly."

"Maybe that's what we needed. Maybe I need to recognize that it's not easy for you to be there alone do it without me. Maybe I've been selfish and I need to think about your feelings more and how hard all of this is on you."

Puck sighed. "Yeah and maybe I need to be more understanding about you. How hard it is for you to be away from the kids and home. How hard it is to jump back into this whole theater thing. The fact that everyone else is dick to you, I should be more supportive of you."

"You see" Rachel said with a small smile he could hear over the phone. "We're okay."

Puck chucked again. "Yeah babe we're okay."

Rachel cleared her throat. "Well I was actually calling because I received some news yesterday and I wanted to talk it over with my husband and see what he thought of it."

"What kind of news? Do I need to beat anyone up cause I can be there in a few hours?"

"No silly" Rachel took a deep breath. "Jessie has been invited to sing at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and he has asked me to sing a duet with him. He thinks it'll be good press for the show."

"You're going to sing in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade?" Puck asked shocked.

"Only if you're okay with it. I know its Thanksgiving and it would be taking away from family time. But I've checked it out and there are a couple of flights leaving out of JFK that afternoon. I could fly out and be home by that night. Or we can all go to New York for Thanksgiving. Find some place to just relax as a family. Or I can tell Jessie that as much as I appreciate his offer, that I just won't be able to do it. I just…I want us to talk about this and I don't want to leave you out of this. I love you and I love our family and I'll do whatever is best for us. I just think-"

"Rachel stop" Puck cut her off. "Babe I get what you're trying to do. And not saying that I don't appreciate it all but let's be real. You've been offered to sing at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. No way are you passing that shit up. This is huge for you. You gotta do it."

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it" She said quietly.

"Okay with watching my hot as fuck wife sing to millions of people? Shit I'd have to be a moron not to be okay with that." He stated to her matter of factly.

"But what are we going to do about Thanksgiving?"

"Well" Puck sighed. "We can't spend it in New York. Ma has been planning out Thanksgiving and as she's getting older these things mean more to her now. Plus with Beck being pregnant and all, we gotta stay in Lima."

"I can book a flight out of JFK. As soon as I'm done singing I'll head right to airport and be on the first flight back. I'll be home before desert."

"I can meet you at the airport and drive you back."

"No Noah. The airport is an hour away. I don't want to take away from family time. Plus it might be more incentive to move faster so I can get you."

"Fine. But I'll keep your plate warm for you…I'll keep your dessert warm too" He said in a low tone.

"Okay Mr. Puckerman. I think I should let you go before we end up doing something over the phone that is completely inappropriate for you to do in your office."

"We've done it in my office before." Puck laughed. "But your right. I should get back to work. I'll call you tonight…um…if that's okay?"

"I'll be waiting by the phone" She beamed.

"I love you Rachel."

"Love you too Noah." She said "And Noah…"

"Yea babe?"

"I'm really happy we talked" She said quietly almost fragile.

Puck sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Me too babe"

* * *

"You're a real asshole you know that" Sarah yelled as she slammed into the house after her dance rehearsal. Sarah marched right into the living room where she knew her idiot brother would be. She had all day to think about her conversation with Courtney and by the end of the day she was seething to give her brother a piece of her mind.

"That sentiment seems to be going around today" Caleb replied in a bored tone. He didn't even bother to look up from his game. He was close to beating the high score.

Sarah scoffed at him. She took her book bag off and hurled it at him. That should get his attention.

The backpack hit him square in the chest. Caleb had enough sense to pause the game before angrily turning to his sister. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"You! You're my problem!" Sarah yelled back. How could he? He was her brother. How could he be just like all the other guys? The guys her dad warns her about?

"Care to elaborate on that one. Crazy" He said

"I'm not crazy!" She said back to him. "You're just a lying, cheating scumbag and I'm ashamed to call you my brother."

"Okay I'm going to go to my room cause you obliviously took something and right now your tripping off some deep shit" He said confused and started to walk out the room.

"Ugh! I talked to Courtney" She said. Caleb stopped in his tracks. "Yeah she was crying in the auditorium. And I first I was like, fuck her she deserves it for how awful she is to you every day but then she decided to enlighten me on how your relationship ended. You cheated on her. You were fucking two other girls the whole time you were dating her." She said in disgust.

Caleb turned around and approached his sister. He hated talking about this. He hated to bring up old pain. Old hurt. "I didn't fucking cheat on anyone" He said quietly.

"Bullshit!" Sarah yelled. "She saw you. She saw you at the hotel that night while you were visiting your skank"

"I didn't fucking cheat on anyone" Caleb said a little louder.

"Well you weren't fucking her. So you had to be getting it from someone. Caleb Puckerman. The big sex shark of the school. I can't even believe we share the same DNA"

"I didn't fucking cheat on anyone!" Caleb yelled at her.

"Is that why you believe so much in dad?" She ignored him "One cheater to another. You're watching his back? Did dad teach you how to keep one relationship while fucking whoever you want on the side" She said with tears streaming down her face.

"I didn't fuck anyone" He yelled and tried to get her to understand.

"Bullshit. Why should I believe you?"

"Because I've never fucked anyone! I never slept with anyone. I've never had sex!" He yelled at her.

Sarah felt the fight leave her body. "What?" She asked confused.

"I'm…a virgin" Caleb said as he looked in her eyes before he sat down on the couch. He hung his head in shame.

"You must be joking. Of course you've had sex" She said in disbelief. She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but truth. "I mean I live right down the hall. We share a wall. I've heard the moans."

"Yeah well there's a lot of stuff you can do with a girl to get her moan without actually having sex with her." He said with embarrassment still on his cheeks.

"But.." Sarah said confused. "Why haven't you had sex? You're…we'll you're you."

Caleb shrugged. "It just…never felt right"

"Are you gay?"

"Fuck no!"

"Then…I don't understand" She said and she sat down on the couch next to him. This totally didn't make any sense.

Caleb sighed. "Okay look. When I was about 14 and really getting into girls, Mom, dad, Auntie San and Uncle Finn all sat me down and had this big epic sex talk. They talked about the normal shit you hear in health class. You know wrap it up, keep your shit clean and all of that. But they also talked about being ready and what sex really means. They all had pretty crappy first times. Mom lost it to Uncle Finn and she only did it cause she felt that's what she needed to do to keep him as her boyfriend. Uncle Finn lost it to Auntie San and he did it cause he was jealous of mom. Auntie San lost it to dad and she did it to be more popular. And dad can't even remember who he lost it to but he did it to prove how badass he was." Caleb shook his head and looked over at his sister. "And as fucked up as their sex square was they all felt the same way afterwards. Empty. Like it didn't mean shit cause they did it for the wrong reason or with the wrong person. They wanted me to make sure I knew why I was doing it and that I was doing it with someone special when it was time. And after that conversation I decided…I just… I didn't want it to not mean anything. I didn't want to feel empty afterwards. So I just decided to wait till the time and the person was right."

Sarah sat speechless. "Wow"

"Yeah well. I can be smart sometime you know." He said and nudged her with his shoulder.

"But how come almost every girl in the school swears up and down that they've slept with you?"

"Look just cause I don't give up the big V don't mean I don't do everything but. I showed a couple of girls a good time. And I guess they choose to interpret it differently. Then after a while a girl felt insecure if she didn't say she had sex with me. So now chicks I've never even seen say they've been with me. It's social norm."

"It's sick and pathetic for those girls to lie about sleeping with you."

"Yeah well I didn't hurt my rep so I just let it happen."

"So the girls that said you cheated on Courtney? They were lies too? Or did you…show them a good time?"

"I didn't even know those girls names until after Courtney broke up with me. I never cheated on her. Hell when we were together I never looked at another girl. I was…happy"

Sarah had a small smile. "You were happy. But not happy enough to…you know…sex her up"

"I don't even know why we're having this conversation" Caleb sighed. "Look, Courtney was special. I…um… I thought I loved her. She was my match: my equal. She didn't take my shit and I was really into it. I wanted to do it with her. But the couple times she tried were in my car or at her house when her mom was making dinner. And…excuse me for wanting it to be a little more special than that. I wanted it to be epic…not just for me but for her. She didn't deserve a quick fuck in the back of my car. She deserved romance…flowers…a hotel room away from snooping parents."

"Oh my gosh. You weren't at the hotel that night meeting with a skank." Sarah said as realization hit her.

"I went to set up the room. I wrote a song and lit a bunch of fucking candles. But when I called her that night she didn't answer. She didn't answer all weekend. Not her phone or the door when I came by her house to find out what was wrong. And come Monday morning she marches up to me and breaks the whole thing off."

"Oh my gosh" Sarah said. Realization hit her when she finally heard both sides of the story. "Why didn't you tell her the girls were lying? Why didn't you make her see?"

"I tried. But she didn't want to hear it." Caleb said sadly before his face hardened. "And then I thought maybe I don't want to be with someone that doesn't even fucking trust me. So I just stopped and let her believe whatever the fuck she wanted to."

"But you could have told her you've never done it before. You could have made her believe like you just made me."

"No fuck her. If she wanted to throw away what we had like it meant nothing then that's fine by me. I'm not ruining my rep to try to convince someone that has already wrote me off."

"But Caleb…"

"I don't wanna talk about it. It's over. She made her choice and that shit hurt so I made mine. We're done." Caleb picked him remote back up and stated to play his game again.

Sarah watched him for a few moments. "Caleb"

"What?"

"I'm really proud to call my brother." She said quietly before she kissed him on the cheek and retreated to the kitchen.

* * *

**And there it is! I feel so relieved getting this chapter out. Please review. Let me know what you think. What did you like or what did you hate. If you hate me or want to yell at me for leaving for so long just send me a PM. I'm a big girl I can take it.**

**The song Courtney sang was "Wasting all my tears" by Cassadee Pope**

**I also want to mention that the death of Corey Monteith had a lot to do with getting me back on the Fan Fiction horse. His death was a blow to the whole Glee community and I was really saddened by that. My thoughts go out to Lea in this rough time.**

**The next chapter is already written but I'm not going to post it for another week. Just to give myself time to get back in the swing of things. The story is really going to pick up from here. More fights. More drama. More Puckleberry family love. Until next time...  
**

**Thanks guys! Review!  
**


	13. Awesome Auntie Powers

**YAH! Apparently I haven't lost my writer swag. But I did want to clear up a few things from reviews and PMs I've gotten...**

**1.) I am not purposely trying to make Rachel the bad guy. In fact I purposely try to show BOTH sides of the story. Both Rachel and Puck are contributing to the problems in their marriage. They both have some growing up to do. **

**2.) As annoying as he is, Jessie is going to be around for a while. Remember it was his offer that started us down this path. He is here for Rachel and he won't give up without a fight. **

**3.) Caleb and Sarah were not told about their half sister. We'll find out later on why Puck and Rachel decided that but please know that IT DOES HAPPEN. My own mother didn't know about 2 half siblings she had until my grandfather died.**

**Thanks for all the love guys. I really means a lot to me. Thank you for the reviews. Good or Bad I appreciate the support. Just for laughs RedSatinBlackSlik said that alternative name for this chapter should have been: The Puckleteens are at it again.**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

"Sherlock Holmes and Watson, Han Solo and Chewie, and Phineas and Ferb: what do they all have in common?"

"They're all fictional characters?" Caleb asked confused. His sister had barged into his room and woken him up super early in the morning. To be honest he was still trying to think through the fog of sleep in his head.

"No, you idiot; they're all partners." She said annoyed. Sarah had been up all night with thoughts of her parents. New pictures surfaces last night of her mom out with Jessie and Sarah couldn't get them out of her head. They needed a plan to fix their parents' marriage and she had the perfect one.

"Oh of course," He said sarcastically "So?"

"So…" She said while pacing her brother's floor back and forth.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but why exactly am I here," Chris said from his spot at Caleb's desk. "Not that I don't enjoy hanging out with you guys and all, but Sarah it's pretty fucking early to just shoot the shit. I mean, Caleb's not even wearing pants right now." Chris pointed to Caleb with his bare chest showing and his blankets pooled around his waist. Caleb just shrugged. Chris had been woken up by Sarah's call and told to get to her house immediately. He was afraid it was some emergency but now he is starting to think differently.

"Don't you guys get it?" She asked them. They both looked at her like she was completely nuts and maybe she was but she had a plan and damn it and it was going to work. "I've figured out what we have to do to help mom and dad."

"And it has something to do with fictional characters?" Caleb questioned. Seriously it was still dark outside.

"No!" She said exasperated. "Guys, just listen. Mom and Dad are supposed to be partners, right? Them against the world, right? Well, their first problem is that recently they haven't been fighting the world they've fighting each other."

"Again I say…so?" Caleb replied

"So, we have to put them back on the same team. Give them a cause to fight for together." She said with a smirk at her stroke of brilliance.

"And the cause would be…" Chris questioned.

"The best cause they've got" She said "Their children. We just have to present them with some mess we've created that they have to work together to fix. It's simple. I'm actually surprised we didn't think of it before."

"Um, maybe you've forgotten but the last time we tried something like that it ended up with us getting arrested and mom and dad being even more pissed at each other. They weren't on the same team then" Caleb reasoned.

"That's because last time we didn't know what we were doing. The arrest wasn't planned. It just sort of…happened. Anyway things will be much better with organized chaos." She said dismissively.

"So…what am I here for then? Uncle Puck and Aunt Rae love me and all but I don't think they want to team up to handle my problems like they would yours," Chris asked

"You have a special mission." Sarah said turning to Chris "So, the second problem with our parents is that they may or may not have other people in their lives distracting them from each other. We can't go to Chicago and take care of douche but we can go to OSU. I'm 100% sure that this is the woman from the movie theater. You're going to go and check up on this Beth chick to figure out her whole deal."

"I'd like to bring up my aforementioned point about being arrested" Caleb said.

"Seconded. Besides aren't we banded from the campus or something?" Chris questioned

"We weren't banned!" she said defensively. They both stared at her. "Okay, maybe we were banned but I'm sure that's over now and everyone's forgot."

"My parents haven't forgotten." Chris mumbled

"Besides she doesn't live directly on campus. So you should be fine." Sarah said as she handed him and sheet of paper with the picture and address of Beth Corcoran.

"Um, how did you get her address?" Chris asked

"Don't ask dude" Caleb said to him

"You take care of mom, I take care of dad and Chris will take care of the home wrecker. We'll have 48 hours to complete our task and report back." Sarah said her tone all business. She nodded professionally and left. Both boys looked at each other tired and confused at what just happened.

"Um…I'll help you with yours if you help me with mine" Chris said to Caleb.

"Deal" Caleb said back. He tossed a pillow at his friend. "Sleeping bag is in the closet"

Chris pouted "Why can't I sleep in the bed?"

"Cause last time you tried to spoon me and you pull that shit again I'm punching you in the face." Caleb said as he turned over to get comfortable. Chris looked from to closet to the bed and weighted his options.

"Maybe Sarah will share her bed" Chris wondered out loud. Caleb reached out an arm and punched Chris in the only spot he could reach which ended up being his calf. "Ow,"

Caleb sighed and took pity on his friend. "Head to foot. Separate blankets. No spoon."

"Deal," Chris said. He pulled the extra blanket out of the closet and settled onto the bed for some much needed sleep. "Caleb…you're my best friend."

"Shut up. It's way too early for this shit." Caleb said.

* * *

Puck came into the kitchen humming as he made himself a bowl of Frosted Flakes. Seriously they're great. Santana looked up from the paper she was reading over her Greek yogurt. She'd been with the Puckermans for the past week and has integrated herself into their daily routines.

"Someone's in a good mood" She commented dryly.

"Well…it's a good day." Puck shrugged. "Sun is shining. Leaves are falling, turning colors and shit. Thanksgiving is coming up. Rachel's coming home soon. It's a good day."

"Ah" Santana said turning the pages of the paper. "I figured a goofy smile like that had something to do with Rachel Berry."

"Puckerman," He corrected

"Sorry. My mistake" She said sarcastically. "Speaking of which have you informed your spawn that she'll be MIA on the big day?"

"She _will_ be here" He corrected her again. "She'll just be a little late that's all. And no I haven't told them yet. Plan on doing it today."

"Good luck with that," She said under her breath. "You know communication is the key to a healthy family," She said in her Psychiatrists voice that uses on all her patients.

Puck just rolled his eyes. "What about you?"

"What about me,"

"You talk to Finn?"

Santana turned the page of the paper again and gave a little shrug of her shoulder. "I tried. I gave him a call but he was at work."

"Did you purposely call him while he was at work?" Puck questioned. Santana looked up from her paper to glare at him. "I'm just saying you should probably make a real effort to talk to him about this shit. That's what Rachel and I did."

"Thanks but I think my situation is a little bit different from yours." She said

Puck polished off his bowl and headed to the sink. "Well it's like you said: Communication is the key to a healthy family." He said before he walked out the room

"I hate you," Santana shouted to him.

"No you don't," He said back to her.

* * *

"You sure this will work" Caleb asked his friend as they drove up to the OSU campus. After a much needed nap the boys decided they would get their task out of the way as quickly as possible.

"Totally dude," Chris reassured him while he kept his eyes on the road. "Parents completely freak about this type of shit. And your mom will have a total melt down over this."

"Yeah but…"Caleb hesitated. "Do we want her to have a melt down? I mean she's already dealing with enough shit as it is. Maybe we shouldn't be stressing her out more."

"That's the point. She'll be too stressed she'll have to go to your dad. Gosh I sound like Sarah," Chris said. "Plus it's not real. It's just to nudge your parents back together."

"Okay," Caleb sighed before he dialed his mother's number. He secretly hoped she didn't answer.

"Hello?" Her voice rang loud and clear.

Damn

"Hey mom," He tried to sound casual.

"Hi sweetie."

"Is now a good time to talk? Cause I can call back if your busy or something," He asked

"Not at all, now is actually perfect." She told him "I'm just leaving the theater for my lunch break."

"Great," He said sarcastically

"Is everything alright Caleb? You sound like you have something on your mind,"

"Yeah everything is…." Caleb took a sigh. He really didn't want to do this to her but if helped saved his family he had to. Here goes nothing. "Okay look I do have something I want to talk to you about. And I would have come to dad but I just don't want him to freak out on me or something."

"Caleb what's wrong."

"I don't want to disappoint you or anything. And I know I've screwed up but I got a plan okay."

"Sweetie you're not making sense." She told him calmly.

"I'm not going to college." He finally blurted out and cringed when he heard her sharp intake of breath. "College is for suckers and I'm not doing that. I'm going be…I wanna be a rock star mom. And you don't need a piece of paper to do that."

"Caleb…I don't" She paused and tried to think about her words. "What brought this on?"

"You did actual. I see you out there and being famous and I think, shit that's what I want too."

"But sweetie I got a degree first. I had a job to fall back on."

"Yeah but if I start early I won't need to" He said back to her. He realized how completely stupid he sounded. Of course he was going to go to school. If not for a degree then for the sweet-ass parties and shenanigans that ensue at college. No way in fuck did he really want to miss all that.

"Caleb," Rachel sighed.

"I'm moving to LA when I graduate. I'm going move to LA, get myself a record deal and be a rock star."

"Caleb, I think it's wonderful to follow your dreams but I think maybe you should…"

"Oh shit. Sorry mom I gotta go. Chris is here to pick me up for some one on one basketball. Love you. Bye." He said before quickly handing up his phone.

"Not sure how well that went," Chris said from the driver's seat.

"Trust me it went well." Caleb responded. "She got all quiet and shit. She only gets like that when she's trying to keep calm. I freaked her the fuck out."

"Hey man." Chris said as he clapped him on the back. "You did the right thing."

"Then why do I feel so lousy." Caleb mumbled to himself. "Fuck it, let's get the rest of this shit done so we can be home by dinner."

* * *

_Sweet Caroline_

_Good times never seemed so good_

Puck smirked to himself as he heard her ringtone. He muted the TV from the football game that was on and reach over to answer his phone.

"Good afternoon beautiful" He said in his most sexy voice. "To which do I owe the pleasure of your call. Interested in a little afternoon delight?" He asked playfully.

"Noah?" She said in panicked voice.

"Rach? What's wrong?" He asked concerned.

"Noah it's horrible. I don't even know…" She paused to breath. "We've failed him."

"Babe what's going on? Failed who?"

"Caleb. We've failed him as parents. He's going to throw his whole life away. He's going to be living in squalor on the streets," She said borderline hysterical.

"Rachel you are not making any sense right now. What did Caleb do? And why is he going to be living on the streets?" He asked. He needed her to relax so he could figure out what she was so upset about. "Babe just take a moment. Calm down and tell me what the fuck is going on,"

"I just got a phone call from your son and he informed me that he has decided that he no longer wants to attend college. In fact, his new life ambition is to be a rock star. He plans on moving out to LA and trying to get a record deal as soon as he graduates. Noah we can't let him do it. Los Angles is a crazy city especially for a small town boy like him. They'll eat him alive. Or worst he'll become some sort of sexed crazed druggie willing to do anything for a hot meal. My baby boy." Her voice cracked

"Okay babe. Calm down. Los Angles isn't that bad." He told her. "Just relax. We're going to figure this out."

"Relax? Noah how can we relax when our son is about to become the next Magic Mike?"

"First off, Magic Mike did surprisingly well in the box office and Channing Tatum has a pretty good career going for him. Seconding, it's not like he wants some sort of sex change and wants to be called Carol from now on. It's college."

"I'd rather deal with a sex change than my son throwing his life away."

Puck sighed and ran his hand over his head. He was going to kill his son for freaking his wife out so bad. "Look, I think you're over reacting." He told her bluntly

"And I think you are under reacting. Doesn't this bother you in the least? Don't you care about his future?" She accused him.

"Shit Rach, of course I care about his future. But not going to college doesn't mean he doesn't have a future." He reasoned with her. At that moment Santana entered. She obviously heard part of the conversation was now intrigued. She raised an eyebrow at him and he just shook his head. He'd explain when he got done talking to his crazy wife.

"Well it's a pretty big step towards no future." She snapped

"For fucks sakes he still has a whole year left in school after this one. He can change his mind. He's 17. He doesn't know what he wants."

Rachel sighed in frustration "I think we need to have an intervention. We need to sit him down and talk to him about how his choices affect the rest of his life. Make him see the benefits of higher education." She reasoned.

"I think that's a terrible idea." He told her back. He was starting to get pissed with her over reaction to this. "We need to leave him alone. Give him some space and let him make his own choices."

"He's our son Noah! Our baby boy" She snapped at him again. How could he not see how horrible this whole situation was?

"Yeah well you have to let him grow the fuck up some time Rachel. You ain't going to be there to hold his fucking hand for the rest of his life." He snapped back at her.

"I understand that you didn't have anyone around for you. And you had to do it on your own. Your father was gone and mother worked a lot. You had to do it without support. But Caleb is not you. And I'll be damned before I let my son do this by himself." She said to him.

"You know what. You're right. I did have to do it by myself. It made me stronger and the second you told me about the baby in your belly I promised myself I would support my own kid. I love him enough to let him make his own choice and I'm going to support whatever fucking choice he makes" He said in a very cold and tight voice.

"I can't talk to you right now" She eventually said to him.

"Oh talking? Is that what we were doing? Cause it just seeming like I was talking while you were freaking the fuck out over nothing." He told her.

"You know what?" She said almost shouting. "Why don't you call me when you've had time to think and you're ready to have a mature conversation about our child's future?"

"And why don't _you_ call _me_ when _you've_ had time to think and you calm the fuck down." He told her.

"Ugh!" She shouted into the phone before she hung up on him.

Puck hung up too and tossed his phone on the couch next to him. His jaw was set angrily as he picked up the remote and unmuted the game.

"Well, that sounded pleasant." Santana said.

"Shut it Satan." He snapped to her.

"You wanna talk about it?" She asked him

"Nope," He said simply. She just glared at him and waited. He would crack soon. Sure enough after five minutes he started talking. "Apparently my son doesn't want to go to college. He thinks he can make it big as a rock start out there in LA. And my wife apparently thinks he is throwing his life away and he's somehow going to end up prostituting himself out while doing coke lines off of homeless people's backs."

"And how does that make you feel?" Santana asked and folded her hands in her lap.

"Fuck that Satan I don't want any of your Therapist bull shit." He said tossing a pillow at her.

"Gosh I was just teasing." She said throwing it right back to him. "Let me ask you this…Did you expect Rachel to react any differently to this news?"

"I didn't expect her to be so fucking dramatic out it. It's college. It's not the end of the world."

"I know that. And you know that. But Rachel?" She questioned "You know she takes these things more seriously. She always has to have a plan. Think about why she is freaking out."

"She thinks he is making a mistake and he is going to ruin his life. She wants to stop him from doing that." He sighed.

"Exactly," Santana confirmed.

"But he's not. He hasn't even made any real choice yet." He reasoned. "He doesn't know what he wants. He's only 17. I was trying to tell her to just calm the fuck down while he finds himself but then she goes and turns it on _me_ like I don't support him or I'm a bad father cause I let me kid think for himself."

"Did she call you a bad father?" Santana questioned. She did this all the time with her clients. People tend to hear what they think someone else is saying rather than what they actually said.

"She accused me of not caring about my kid." He said defensively. "She also brought up how my dad ran out and my mom worked two fuck jobs just to keep the lights on and how Caleb doesn't have to grow up the way I did. I fucking know he doesn't! I work hard to make sure my kids don't gotta go through that. In fact I think I'm being more supportive of him than she is. At least I'm letting him grow up and make his own choices." He told her. They were both silent for a few moments. Santana let Puck cool off and Puck got his head together.

"I think you and Rachel have two different parenting styles on your own" She finally said "She is very direct and emotionally supportive. You take a more laid back approach. You let them make mistakes and then support them through the lessons they learn." She looked up to look in his eye. "But I think you and Rachel are at your best when you are together. Your kids need both styles…they need both of you. So I don't think you're wrong and I don't think she's wrong. I just think it's harder to understand each other when you are so far apart."

Puck let her works sink in before he ran his hand over his head. "Fuck." He smirked at her and sighed. "How much do I owe you Dr. Hudson?"

"This one is on the house." She winked at him "Just give her time to cool off, call her back, and work this out. Knowing you guys, you'll have an intervention and then give him the choice." She giggled.

"Probably," He said with a shrug. "You know what's fucking weird about all this? About week ago I saw him going through brochures and looking up applications for colleges. Fuck he thought about going to OSU so he can play football and go to school for free. It's weird" He said before he stopped himself. "Shit"

"What?" She questioned

"They're up to something." He told her. She gave him a confused look. "Look I know my kids. There are no accidents or coincidence around them. Everything is panned and for a purpose"

"Or he could just really be doubting college." Santana reasoned. "I mean we've all been there."

"Maybe but they are most likely plotting something" He told her before he turned back to game. "Just be on the lookout. My kids are sneaky when they want something."

"Will do," She said dryly. "And if my services are no longer needed I think I'm going to take a much deserved nap." She waved before getting off the couch to leave.

"Hey San," He called to her before she left. "Thanks…you know…for saving me from myself and everything."

She smirked at him "We save each other remember?" She told him before she walked out. Puck just turned back to the game on TV with a little smile. They do save each other.

* * *

Caleb looked up at the apartment in front of them. They had parked right outside of the building that the address had lead them too. "You sure this is the right place?" He asked

"I think so. This is where the GPS took us." Chris replied. "Should we go knock on the door or just wait here for her to pass?"

"I don't know man. Either way kinda feels stalkerish" Caleb replied.

"I guess we didn't think about what we'd do when we actually got here" Chris commented. "If she's not here I guess we can come back another-Holy shit that's her" He said before both boys ducked down in their seats.

"You sure that was her?" Caleb whispered.

"Yeah, she was walking up the street to the apartment heading right towards us." Chris whispered back. "Why are we hiding?"

"I don't know" Caleb whispered

"Why are we whispering?"

"I don't know"

"Well what the fuck should we do?" Chris asked in a exasperated whisper.

"The fuck I know." Caleb answered before he pushed his friend. "Go talk to her."

"Me? You go." Chris pushed back

"It's your task or whatever. So you go talk to her." Caleb pushed again

"She is your dad's potential girlfriend. You go talk to her" Chris pushed him back

"Fuck you man. My dad's not a cheater" Caleb said in his regular voice.

"Then go prove it and talk to her." Chris said right back.

"Whatever" Caleb said as he sat up and got out of the car. The Beth chick had her back to him. She was up at the front door fiddling with her keys. "Um…Beth?" Caleb said confused on how to start the conversation.

"Yes?" She turned around and Caleb got an eye full. Not of the pretty blonde girl with the pretty hazel eyes but of her big pregnant belly.

"Holy Shit you're pregnant" Caleb said before he could stop himself.

Beth chuckled a little. "Thank you captain oblivious."

Caleb regained his cool. "Sorry. Just wasn't expecting that. Um…are you Beth Corcoran?"

"That's me." She said "Who are you?"

"I'm Caleb…um…just Caleb." He thought it best not to give his last name.

"Okay Just Caleb mind telling me why you're here?" She question

"Oh…um" Caleb said. Shit. He totally didn't think this far into the conversation. In fact the whole pregnancy thing kind threw him off all together. Shit he had to Bull Shit his way out of this. May the force be with him. "Um…I'm going to be new on campus next year. I'm starting off as a freshman and…um…I plan to major in Biochemistry and the professors over there thought I should talk to you about your thoughts on the program." Nail it he thought.

"Wow. I'd love to tell you about the program" She said "But I'm not majoring in Biochemistry" She glared at him.

Shit.

"You're not. Oh um…that's weird. Maybe they sent me to you because… you had a similar major before you transferred here" He tried to cover his tracks.

"And how exactly would you know I'm a transfer." She asked him.

"Um… the professor told me" He said

"Professor who?" She asked

"Professor…um…Shit" Caleb said in defeat. This has never happened before. He's never not been able to bull shit his way out. "Look I just-"

"Let me stop you right there" She said "I don't know who you are or what you want but if you don't leave in the next five seconds I'm calling the cops." She threatened.

"No!" Caleb said. "Okay look. Please don't call the cops. I'm not a Biochemistry major. I just wanted to ask you a few questions…" He said. He talked to her in a calm voice like a hunter that tried not to frighten an animal. Maybe if he asked her this shit calmly, she'd cooperate.

"Who are you?"

"I'm just Caleb remember?" He said with a little charm. She just glared. "Look who I am doesn't matter. What does matter is…" Might as well just rip off the band aid He thought. "Do you know a guy named Noah Puckerman?"

Beth stiffened at the name. "Yes…"

"Shit…are you…" Caleb took a deep breath. "Are you sleeping with Noah Puckerman?" Caleb held his breath waiting for the answer.

"What?" Beth looked offended. "No."

Caleb took a brief sigh of relief at the truth he saw in her eyes before he asked his next a potentially worst question. "Is Noah Puckerman the father of your baby?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course he's not." She said upset. "Who are you? You need to leave right now"

"I just have one more question and I swear I'll leave you alone." Caleb pleaded. She didn't say anything so he took that as a sign he can ask the last question. "What have you been doing with Noah Puckerman?"

Beth sighed. "Look I don't who you are and maybe that's a good thing. But Puck has been supportive through this whole…mess. He's the only that actually cares about me and I can talk to him. He's my friend."

"How do you even know him?" Caleb blurted out

"You said that was the last question." She said as she turned away from him.

"Please just…humor me."

"It's complicated." Beth turned around to face him. He could tell that she was upset with the conversation and wanted him to leave. "But you know what? If you actually think Puck would do any of the stuff to his family. Then it's pretty obvious that you, Just Caleb, don't really know him" she said before she turned around and walked into her building.

Caleb turned back to the car and felt like shit. That seemed to be a running theme of today. Doing stuff and then feeling horrible afterwards. Beth was right. He knew his dad better than that. Why was he even here? He opened the door and got back in the car.

"That went well" Chris said. He turned on the car and started to pull out onto the street. "What did you find out?"

"What I already knew," He told him quietly.

* * *

Sarah waited in the kitchen for her mark. She had already pre-set everything she needed. She raided Caleb's stash of condoms, placed the condoms in her purse and set the purse in the perfect position to fall and display said condoms. Her dad was going to freak but after her yelled and the little vein in his head went back down he'd have no choice but to call mom and figure out a solution. She really was a genius. And she was on her way to fixing her parents' marriage and their entire family.

There was movement at the door and she got herself ready. As soon as he entered the kitchen she accidentally knocked her purse over and hid her smile as the condoms spilled out. Bulls eye.

Or it would have been if it was the right target.

"What the fuck is this?" Her Auntie San asked.

Sarah's head snapped up. Shit. She thought it was her dad. "Oh Auntie San, I thought you were daddy." She said as she jumped off her stool to scoop up the condoms and put them back in her purse. "Any chance you can forget you saw that?" She asked.

"Not likely," Santana replied.

"Great." She mumbled to herself. "Look it's nothing really."

"Uh huh," Santana said. She looked back and forth from the girl and the purse. "So, you thought your dad was coming in and you knocked over your purse which just so happens to be overflowing with condoms?" She questioned.

"What? No." Sarah replied. "That was an accident."

"So, you accidentally wanted your dad to know about all the sex you've been having?"

"I'm not having sex," Sarah said to her Aunt honestly.

"Then what's with all the condoms?" San said as she trapped her niece into a verbal corner.

"Nothing…I um…I got them from school" She said

"So, the school is preparing you to have lots of sex and you wanted your dad to know?" She questioned

"No…I just…um," Sarah said

"Cut the crap Sarah" Santana told the girl. "You wanted your dad to come in here, see a fuck ton of condoms in your purse, and flip his shit." She told her. Sarah was shocked. How the hell did she see through her plan? Was she losing her touch? "My question is why? In fact, I'm betting you know why did your brother called your mother earlier today and make her flip her shit about him not going to college?" Santana questioned

Oh that was a good one. Sarah thought. "I don't know. Maybe you should ask him." She shrugged.

"Don't give me that bullshit." Santana said to her. "Does this have anything to do with your parents fighting lately?"

"I don't know" Sarah said with a little shrug of her shoulder and a sad voice. Somehow Auntie San saw through their whole plan. Damn her and her awesome auntie powers.

"Sarah, look," Santana sighed and put her hand on the girls shoulder. "Just cause your parents are fighting doesn't mean they don't love you anymore. You don't have to do shit like this to get their attention. In fact pulling what you just pulled may have ended in a homicide." Sarah chuckled at the joke. "Whatever your parents are going through they love you and Caleb just the same."

"I know they love me" Sarah scoffed "I just want them to love each other again."

"And you think your brother pretending to skip college and you pretending to have lots of sex is going to make them love each other?" Santana reasoned.

"Well…no" Sarah huffed. "But it-"

"It forces them to talk and work as a team to tackle your problems." Santana finished her sentence.

Sarah sighed again. Shit, she was good. Damn her and her awesome auntie powers. Just then the front door opened and the two boys returned from their day trip. Santana fixed Sarah with a glare before she made a snap decision. "Caleb, Chris, get in here." She shouted to them. They two boys entered the kitchen confused. "Sit." She told them as she pointed to the kitchen table. The boys obeyed and sat down. She turned to Sarah. "You too Jezebel"

"Are we in trouble?" Caleb asked wearily while his sister and aunt took a seat at the table.

"And if we are, are you going to tell our parents?" Chris asked.

"No, you're not in trouble." She reassured them. "I just need to talk to you Puckleteens and spawn of Asian fusion you should probably hear this too"

"Puckleteens?" Caleb questioned.

"Listen, you guys. I know that your parents have been having a rough time these past couple months. It must be hard dealing with your mom gone and just your dad left to figure stuff out. And all the fighting must feel kinda scary and shit or feel like your family is falling apart?" She looked them in the eyes. "But one fight doesn't mean divorce. Hell 20 fights don't mean divorce. And just 'cause they get mad at each other doesn't mean they don't love each other."

"They sure have a funny way of showing it," Sarah said sullenly.

"Guys, you have to realize that your parents are married. Partners, as in, in this for the long haul. And part of a marriage is figuring shit out on your own. There are good times and bad times and they just have to work it though. But you guys pulling shit like you did today and trying to make them flip their shit isn't helping. You think you are putting them on the same team but from what I saw today you are really just adding more stress and tearing them apart."

"What? We didn't mean to." Caleb said

"I know you didn't. And that's why I'm talking to you. I want you guys to realize. They love you and they love each other. They just have some stuff to work out. It might be rough for a while but they'll pull through. And just because things are bad right now doesn't mean they won't be good again." She told them sincerely. "So I want you guys to promise me that you're going to be on your best behavior from here on out and not cause your parents anymore problems."

Caleb and Sarah both laughed.

"You and I both know we can't make that promise" Sarah told her honestly.

Santana just laughed. "Yeah I figured. Okay well promise me you won't pull shit like you did today again. Cause Caleb you scared the fuck out of your mom and Sarah you almost got your boyfriend here killed."

"Wait…What?" Chris questioned concerned for his safety.

"Okay we promise" Caleb said.

"Good," Santana said back to them. "Now Caleb go call you mom and stop her freak out. Sarah put those things back where you got them before your father comes home and kills you. And Chris you should probably start heading home in case Sarah doesn't get the condoms back in time. You'll need a head start." She told him.

Chris laughed at first but then saw the serious look in her eye. He got up quickly. Kissed Sarah's cheek and was out the door. Caleb left with his phone in his hand. Sarah walked to her purse on the counter with a small smile on her face as she looked back at her Auntie San.

Damn her awesome auntie powers.

* * *

Puck relaxed back on the couch with a hard earned beer in his hand. He had just gotten off the phone with Rachel who called him back to apologize for her melt down earlier. Apparently Caleb called her back and said never mind. He also apologized to her if it seemed like he was too hard. He never wanted his kids to not feel supported. Rachel ended the conversation by telling him that he was the most supportive man she knew.

So he was felt pretty fucking stoked. And his mood from this morning was back.

Santana walked in with a glass of wine and a book. After a few moments of comfortable silence she finally spoke up. "So your father senses were actually on the nose." She informed him. He looked at her confused. "You kids were definitely up to something."

"I knew it," He said. "No one got arrested did they? Cause I don't think I can handle that shit again."

"No, no." She calmed him. "No one was arrested. Although if one plan went through it certainly could have gone that route…"

"So what was it this time?" He asked as he took another swig of his beer.

"Nothing really" She said "They just…they wanted you and Rachel to be a team again. Apparently they've noticed you guys fighting a lot and thought if they did something stupid it would force you guys to work together and not fight so much."

"Shit. Are you for real?" Puck put his drink down. "I mean I know they heard us a couple of times but damn I didn't realize we had that big of effect on them like that."

"Relax," Santana said to reassure him. "I talked to them."

"Yeah?" He questioned. He never wanted his kids to go through that. Before his dad left he heard his parents fight a lot; most of the times the fight would only end when his dad was pissed enough to take a swing at his mom. He never wanted them to feel the way he felt in those moments. Helpless alone and just plan scared for his family.

"Yeah," Santana said as she looked him in the eye. She knew what he was thinking. "I let them know that just because you guys got mad at each other don't me you don't love each other. And one fight doesn't mean a divorce."

"Shit. Who said anything about divorce?" Puck said

"They were just worried that's all. They see you guys fight but they don't see you guys make up. But they are fine now. You're good." She told him. "In fact Caleb should have called Rachel by now and straightened everything out."

Puck took a heavy sigh before he grabbed his beer again and laid back. How the hell did he get so lucky to have a friend like Santana? "Thanks San." He said as he tipped his beer to her.

She giggled and raised her glass to him. "All in a day's work." She told him before she took a sip. "You know it's true though. Marriage isn't always easy but you work at that shit. Just 'cause things are bad doesn't mean they are never going to be good again."

Puck thought about her words for a moment before he had an epic idea. "You know you're right San. Can I see your phone?" She looked at him confused but tossed him her phone anyway.

"You better not be changing your ringtone to 'I'm too sexy' again" She warned him.

"I'm not" He told her as he dialed the familiar number. When the phone started to ring he tossed it back to her. Santana caught it and saw that Puck had dialed Finn's number. She looked at him shocked.

"Hello," Finn answered the phone. "Santana Baby?"

Puck looked at her and answered her unspoken question. "We save each other right?" He got up and left the room for her to have a much needed conversation with her husband.

* * *

**There you go. I love Santana and her awesome auntie powers. This chapter isn't as long as some of my others but I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Review and let me know what you think. Thank you guys so much for all the support. I'm half way done with the next chapter so _hopefully_ It will be up in a week or so. Until next time...**

**Thanks! Review!**


	14. GameChanger

**AH! Okay I want to go on record and say that this chapter has been done for MONTHS (I finished it at the end of August) but my beta (RedSatinBlackSilk) and I made a creative decision to wait to release it. Basically we wanted the holidays in the story to match up with the upcoming holidays. Kinda lame I know but that's what we went for.**

**Good news is that I should be updating more cause the next few chapters are set in December. Disclaimer: I am not Jewish and have never celebrated Hanukkah. All the information I used for this chapter is what I researched but I'm sorry if I got something wrong. **

**Thank you again for all the love and support. I love you guys and I love hearing from you. **

**So...Remember when I said things would get a lot worse before they got better. Yeah this chapter is defiantly things getting worst. You've been warned... **

* * *

Chapter 14

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Puck called as he entered his childhood home. He had a pie in one hand and his special (non-alcoholic) jungle juice in the other. It was going to be a great day.

"Oh you're here," Ava Puckerman busted from the kitchen to sweep her son into her arms and plant a big kiss on his cheek.

"Hi ma" Puck said as he smiled and hugged her back.

She pulled away and noticed the items in his hands. "Noah Elijah Puckerman I thought I told you not to make a thing for this dinner."

"Did you really have to middle name me?" Puck pulled back with a smile. "Besides I didn't make the pies. Caleb did" He told her.

"Caleb?" She questioned and looked behind Puck to see her grandson with two more pies and a sheepish look on his face. "Oh my handsome grandson son."

"Hi bubbe," He said as she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Look how big you've gotten. You look just like your father when he was your age. Except for that ridicules hair cut he used to wear." She fussed and kissed both of Caleb cheeks.

"Hey the hawk was badass" Puck defended as he took off his coat and hung it up in the hall closet.

"Watch your language around the kids," She chided him

Puck just rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. The kids they're worse than I am."

"I refuse to believe that," She said back to him. "Speaking of which, where is that wonderful granddaughter of mine?"

"Right here Bubbe" Sarah said as she came into the house with a homemade center piece.

"Oh my beautiful girl" She said as she took the center piece out her hand. "Did you make this?"

Sarah smiled at her. "Of course. It was easy. All I needed was Pinterest and a hot glue gun."

Ava handed the center piece off to Puck and wrapped Sarah in an even bigger hug. "You are such a clever girl. She gets that from our side of the family you know." She turned to Puck again. "Smarts has always been a Puckerman gene."

"Sure ma" Puck said as he made his way to the kitchen to put everything away.

"Come in. Come in" She said to her grandchildren. "Hang you coats up in the closet. If you can remember where it is. I don't see you kids as often as I used to." She started in with her guilt trip.

"We know bubbe," Caleb said as he hung up his and his sisters coat.

"We've just been busy with school and extra-curricular activities." Sarah added as she followed her bubbe into the kitchen.

"Too busy to visit your own grandmother?" She accused. "You know when you kids were born and your parents were working to keep a roof over your head it was me that was taking care of you. And even when you moved into that fancy house of yours you still came to visit me every week cause you knew I'd have a treat for the two of you. Then you go to high school and suddenly you're too cool for your own grandmother."

Puck tried not to snicker. He's been on the receiving end of his mother's Jewish guilt trips before. But hell his kids were smart. They could handle it.

"But Bubbe we have to say busy," Sarah reasoned with her innocently.

"Oh and why is that?"

"Because we want to get into a good college and do something to make you proud." Caleb added on with sugar in his voice.

"Oh you two" She said and pulled them both in for a hug. "I'm already very proud you. You are wonderful children and don't let anyone tell you differently."

Puck smirked when he saw his mother's face soften. Damn his kids were good. "Okay enough of this. The Parade is gonna start in 20 minutes so let's put this stuff away and settle into the living room to watch my smoking wife and mother of my 'wonderful children' make all of America her bitch"

"Yeah" Caleb and Sarah said high fiving each other.

"Noah watch that mouth of yours" His mother chided.

* * *

Rachel took a deep breath.

"Nervous?" Jessie asked as he slid his hand slid behind her back.

They arrived in New York yesterday morning. After they settled into their hotel rooms, they were both rushed off to meet with wardrobe consultants about their attire for tomorrow. Then they rushed to a few meetings with press and investors of the show back in Chicago. Then it was a rehearsal with the vocal coaches (because apparently just one wasn't enough anymore) to make sure their song was perfect. Then they had a quick late night dinner before they were off to bed for their early start the next day.

Rachel was honestly in awe of Jessie. The Jessie she witnessed in New York was different one from the one in Chicago. Producer Jessie worried about every little thing and fawned over her every move like she was some sort of china doll. Actor Jessie was fun and care free. He was silly and didn't take things too seriously. He was the 'bad boy of Broadway' and it couldn't be denied how much the fans adored him.

She was also shocked to find that she had fans of her own. Which was crazy considering she hadn't even performed for anyone yet. But when they left the restaurant from dinner fans followed them and begged for autographs from both. She also noticed that they not only knew her name but wanted to take pictures with her and had some of her promotional shots that she had taken weeks ago for the show.

She was a little uncomfortable that they kept referring to her and Jessie as 'St. Berry. But it didn't seem like the time or place to discuss something like that.

The next morning they were both up by 5:00 am and were shipped off to hair and makeup for an hour and half before they had a quick breakfast followed by a quick warm up before they were asked to get into their appropriate places for the line up at 77th Street and Central Park West. Things were moving was too fast for Rachel and she just needed a moment to take it all in and catch her breath.

She looked over at Jessie who was still staring at her and waiting for her to reply to his question. Jessie just smiled knowingly. "It's a lot to take in. I know. But relax you're going to be amazing."

"I just don't understand how you do it. I mean we've been moving non-stop since we got off the plane" She confessed.

"I just try to take it one moment at time and enjoy myself as I go." He told her honestly. "Don't you worry Rachel Berry, you'll get used to the fame."

Rachel laughed at his teasing "I don't think I'll ever get used to all this." She confessed as she looked around at all the people. There were people everything and so many things going on at once.

Jessie took her face in his hands and gently pulled it his so he could look her in the eye. "Don't worry. All you have to do is open your mouth and with the first note all of America will love you." He told her "Plus you'll be up there with me. If you get nervous just grab my hand."

Rachel didn't trust her voice to speak but she nodded. Jessie smiled to her and gave her a quick peck on the forehead.

Before they knew it, it was 9 am and the parade was starting. Jessie and Rachel's float was more in the middle of the parade so they had to hang back while the first few bands, floats and balloons made their way out. Their float followed a Snoopy Balloon. Rachel couldn't help but smile. Snoopy was Sarah's Favorite character

Rachel could hear the people screaming and cheering. And when their float finally took off she grabbed Jessie's hand in a flash. She was thankful they had a little while of marching before they made it to the grandstand to sing in front of the cameras. It gave her a chance to get used to the butterflies in her stomach. In time her smile became less nervous and more genuine. Jessie was right. This was fun. The crowd was so much fun and she feed off their energy. She threw out waves and blew kisses to people as they cheered.

Jessie watched her with a grin. This was where she belonged. "I told you." He told her. Rachel rolled her eyes at him playfully before she turned to engage the crowd more. The float stopped. They were handed their microphones and told they were due at the Grandstand seats to perform in 2 minutes. Jessie looked to her. "You ready for this"

Rachel only smiled back at him. "Bring it."

* * *

"Up next the Bad Boy of Broadway Jessie St James, sings us a musical tribute to Broadway."

"That's right, Katie and he is accompanied by Rachel Berry rumored star of the upcoming West Side Story revival set to hit next year."

"Ma you're missing it" Puck yelled to his mother. He vaguely recognized the announcer say something about the float they were on but he honestly didn't care as Rachel's float pulled up and he saw her. His heart almost stopped and he couldn't wipe the goofy grin off his face even if he wanted too. Damn that was his wife.

"Record it. My hands are still in the Turkey." Ava yelled from the kitchen.

"Already recording." Caleb yelled as he turned up the volume.

Puck couldn't take his eyes off the screen. She looked so beautiful as she smile and waved to all the fans. He was damn proud of her. Not even when Jessie leaned in and whispered something to her that made her giggle would take that away from him. She also looked sexy as fuck in her red pea coat, skinny jeans and heels. Damn he'd have to let her know how much he appreciated the outfit when he saw her later on.

The music started and Rachel tapped her foot along with the beat. His girl always did like the rhythm. She turned to Jessie and started to sing.

_Give my regards to Broadway  
Remember me to Herald Square_

Damn she sounded great. Okay maybe he was a little bias cause she was his wife but shit she was amazing. Pucks smile only got wider when a little star with the name Rachel Berry came on under her singing to let the viewer's know who she was.

_Tell all the gang at Forty-Second Street  
That I will soon be there_

Rachel got this cute little sexy smirk on her face. She always made that face when she was confident and happy. Puck tried to wipe off the drool he was sure ran down his mouth.

_Whisper of how I'm yearning  
To mingle with the old time throng_

She turned back to douche and sang with a big smile on her face like she knew she had him and the rest of the world in the palm of her hand.

_Give my regards to old Broadway_

_Broadway_

_To mingle with the old time throng_

Rachel looked out to crowd. And Puck knew this was her moment. She was about to slay this song with an epic note and leave them all in awe.

_Give my regards to old Broadway_

_And tell'em I (I'll be there)_

_Will be there (I'll be there)_

Puck held his breath while she prepared to belt out the final note. Damn it seemed like this woman never seemed to stop taking his breath away.

_I'll be there e'er long_

"Yes!" Puck yelled when she finished her final note. "Fuck yes!" He yelled. The crowd burst in the cheers. Rachel gave Jesse a quick hug but then turned back and waved to crowd who couldn't seem to get enough of her.

Caleb and Sarah hugged each other.

"Way to go Mom!" Sarah clapped.

"What happen? What did I miss?" Ava came in with Turkey sill on her hand.

"Oh nothing but my mom making Broadway her bitch!" Caleb yelled and Puck high fived him.

"Caleb Liam Puckerman! Language young man. Your father may let you talk however you want but in this house it won't be tolerated" She chastised him

"Sorry Bubbe" Caleb said although it was apparent to everyone in the room that he wasn't sorry.

"Who wants to watch it again?" Puck asked as he already reached for the remote to rewind it to Rachel's part. Fuck his wife was amazing.

* * *

Rachel stepped off the float and felt wonderful. It was such an adrenaline rush to perform in front of all those people and crowd gave really good feedback. She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face even if she tried. She turned back to Jessie and gave him the biggest hug. Jessie just chuckled and hugged her back.

"I take it you enjoyed yourself Ms. Berry?" Jessie said as he held her close.

"You have no idea," She said to him as she pulled away.

"I think I can imagine" He teased as he pushed a stay hair out of her eyes. "Now come on. We have two quick interviews to do before we need to get you to the airport for your flight. You sure you still want to go. I'm sure my friends wouldn't mind if I brought one more to dinner tonight."

"Thank you but no" She told him with the grin on her face. Today had been absolutely amazing and the only thing that could make it better was to be at home with her family.

"Well alright. But you can always change your mind," Rachel slapped Jessie playfully in the arm as they headed over to their team to get ready for their interview. A bottle of water was thrust into Rachel's hand and she took it gratefully. The hair and makeup team came over to touch her up.

Then they were then shuffled off to some interview room. The first interview wasn't so bad. It was for some Broadway blog that wanted to know more about Rachel and the Show. They asked a lot of questions about her background and father's but never once was it mentioned that Rachel had a husband and kids. All in all, the first interview was very professional.

The second interview not so much. It was for another Broadway blog but they focused more on the gossip side. They asked more personal questions to Rachel like 'Why she didn't try for New York after high school like every other young starlet' and 'what was she doing wasting her talent as a Glee club director in Lima Ohio'. Rachel took the questions in stride but honestly she let Jessie answer the curve balls they threw at her. There were also a lot of questions about the status of Jessie and Rachel's relationship. Apparently they were the ones that created the name St. Berry.

"A lot of fans out there wanted to know when you two will make an official comment on your relationship status." The nasally blonde asked.

"I'm sorry what's unclear about it" Rachel asked confused.

The blonde scoffed "Well you two aren't exactly hiding anything. You've been seen all around Chicago together: Holding hands, late night dinners. It's very romantic in a long lost lover's kind of way."

What!? Is that what people thought was going on. Of course she knew the cast thought she slept with Jessie to get the roll but she didn't think some gossip blog would be printing lies about some fake relationship between them. Just the thought of it made her sick. Rachel opened her mouth to give this woman a piece of her mind but Jessie put a calming hand on her and answered the question.

"Rachel and I are just friends. I'm just thankful I get to work with her amazing talent again while she settles into her career. She is truly gifted; I think everyone is starting to see what I've always seen in her."

The blonde put her hand over her heart like he said the sweetest thing possible. Rachel rolled her eyes irritated. It's like the woman didn't hear a word Jesse said. They were friends. FRIENDS. Nothing more.

Rachel cleared her throat ready to re-iterate the point but Jessie once again cut her off. "Sorry but I think that's all we have time for. Our Star has to catch a flight." He looked at Rachel with a smile and she gave him one back grateful for him putting an end to the interview from hell.

"Of course" The Blonde said "Just one more question for Rachel" Rachel looked to the woman and tried to pretend that she didn't want to throw a chair at her head. She took a swig of her water to hid the distain look she sure she gave her. "How do you like New York?"

Rachel plastered a fake smile on her face. "I'm loving New York. It's so amazing I almost don't want to leave." She joked.

"Well you'll be moving back here in a few months so you won't have to." The interviewer joked back.

Rachel choked on her water and started to cough. Did she hear her right? Jessie got up to help her and a few people in the room rushed over to aid her with napkins. The woman was all but forgotten.

Did she say move to New York? Her? Where the hell would she get an idea like that? What was going on?

Rachel gathered her composure with everyone fawning over her. "I'm fine," she told them as she wiped off her top with the napkins. "Really guys I'm fine," They backed off all talking over each other but Rachel didn't pay any attention to them. Her eyes were trained on Jessie.

There was something he didn't tell her.

"Actually I really need to talk to Jessie for a moment," She spoke up over all the commotion in the room. Everyone got quiet at the request. "Alone." She told them as she looked over to make sure they heard her. Jessie nodded his head to the team and they filed out of the room muttering to themselves. It kind of irked Rachel that they listened more to Jessie's request then her own but she put it out of her mind. She had bigger issues.

"Jessie what was that about?" She asked him quietly.

"I think you just choked on some of the water. Don't worry it happens" He told her.

"No. Not the Damn water. The part about moving to New York," She told him through her teeth. "What did she mean by that? The show is in Chicago," Jessie was quiet for a few moments. She questioned if he heard her but they were the only two in the room. "Right?"

"For the workshop yes," He answered

"So what's this about New York?"

"Oh come on Rachel!" Jessie scoffed. "Do you really think the biggest revival in Broadway history would take place in Chicago?"

"I'm not..." Rachel stumbled. "I don't understand," She was confused. This wasn't making sense.

"The workshop is in Chicago. Away from the hustle, bustle and cruelty of New York but after the workshop; Once everything is secure with funding and investors the whole production is moving to New York." He told her.

"What?" She was shocked. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Tell you? Rachel you have to have known." He said. "You really think we'd put all the time and energy into a Chicago production? You think the biggest director on Broadway would come out to do a season in Chicago? Think Rachel! This is business. You gotta start using that head of yours. You can't get around with just a pretty face. That's how people take advantage of you"

"Oh my god," She said shocked as she sat back in her chair. The whole time she was so focused about the workshop she never thought about what would happen afterwards. She never thought about much what it would be like after February. And here she was blindsided. They wanted her to move to New York. Jessie wanted her in New York. "But you…You said."

"I said I wanted to give you your dream" He told her "I want to give you what's always been yours. New York. Broadway. Hell even a Tony if we play our cards right." Jessie pulled her face into his hands and looked into her eyes. "You Rachel Berry are a star. And you deserve the whole world to know that. And I plan on making that happen for you."

Rachel's heart was beating out of her chest as she fought the panic rising within. This was all wrong. This wasn't what she planned. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She felt stupid and foolish. She felt naive. How did she not see this coming?

She pulled back from Jessie "I…I can't…move to New York. You know that? I can't…"

"Why not" he said as he reached for her hand. "Why can't you go for your dream? It's right in front of you. Everything you ever wanted is right here. Why the hell is it so wrong for you to go for it?"

"I…I have a family," She stumbled. "A family that loves me very much,"

"Then don't you think they would want this for you?" He asked her. "I mean, hell Puck practically signed your name on the dotted line for you. Do you really think he would keep you from the one that you always truly wanted? Because that doesn't sound like love;That sounds like selfishness."

Rachel was shocked. She was confused. This was totally unexpected. She needed to get out of there. Fast. "I…um…I have a flight to catch. I need to go" She turned to grab her coat and Jessie stopped her.

"You don't have to make any decisions now. Just think about." He told her. "In the meantime focus on the workshop. That's what's important now." Rachel pulled back from him again and put her coat on. Jessie grabbed her wrist. "At least let me take you to the airport."

"No…I just…I'd rather be alone right now." Rachel snatched her wrist away. "I'll see you in a few days" Rachel turned away and rushed from the room. She didn't even have the energy to put her show smile back on. The others tried to help her as she made her way out but she fought them off. She grabbed her luggage that someone had thankful waiting for her and hailed a cab to the airport with a lot on her mind. This was defiantly a game changer.

* * *

_I'll be there e'er long_

Puck sat back and smiled at the TV. He'd watched the play back of Rachel's performance at least 50 times. The kids eventually got bored and went to help their bubbe in the kitchen but Pucks eyes were glued to the TV. Rachel was amazing and he couldn't be happier for her. This was huge.

Suddenly the TV cut off and Puck looked up to see what happen. His mother stood with the remote in her hands and her arms crossed.

"What'd you turn it off for? I was watching that," Puck questioned.

"I know. You've been watching it all day. In fact we all have and honestly I'm getting sick of it." She said sharply to him.

"Sick of it? What are you talking about Rachel was great?"

"Is that all you see when you watch that thing?" She questioned him. Ava sighed and turned the TV back on. She reversed the performance of her daughter in law and hit play. "Let me tell you what I see when I see that."

"Ma what are you talking about?" Puck complained.

The clip started to play but not even a few seconds in she paused it. "There. You see that?"

"What?" Puck looked at the TV curiously.

"Right there in front of you" She told him and pointed to the text at the bottom of the screen. "Rachel Berry"

"So?" Puck said still not understanding his mother.

"So last time I checked she was married with two kids."

"She still is" Puck defended

"Not according to that screen." She said back "Did you even notice she wasn't wearing her ring?"

Puck took a closer look to the screen and saw that in fact Rachel was not wearing her wedding ring. It stung a little but he wouldn't let his mother know that.

"What's your point ma?" He said getting irritated.

"My point is that a woman that is happily married shouldn't be going around without her ring and using her maiden name." She hit play. "A woman that is happy with her life doesn't run off to Chicago chasing a dream. She doesn't miss her children growing up. She shouldn't be holding hands and hugging on a man that is not her husband." She paused the clip right on a shot of Rachel looking into Jessie's eyes while holding hands. "That does not look like a woman that his happily married to my son. That looks like a woman that is half way out the door," She finally told him.

"What? Ma you're crazy" He defended "She's just acting. It's all for show,"

"No. Noah. There is something more on that screen." She sat down next to him "Now I love Rachel. She is a wonderful wife and a loving mother but let's be honest. This wasn't Rachel's first choice. Living in lima, working at that high school with a husband and two children wasn't want she wanted. And maybe she was okay with your life together for a time but now that she has a shot…" She pause "I just don't want you and the kids to get hurt."

"Ma-" Puck tried to speak but he didn't know what to say.

"I know you lost a father. But I lost a husband. So believe me when I say." She hit play again. "That woman may not be yours for much longer. She can very well decide that she doesn't want to do this anymore. And you'll gonna have to find a way to deal with that and still raise two kids." She grabbed his face in her hands and kissed his head "You're my baby boy and I just don't want to see you get hurt."

The doorbell rang and broke the tension in the room. "Oh that must be Rebecca!" With that she got off and ran to the door.

Puck could hear the noise of his sister's arrival in the background but he paid it no mind. His mother's words gripped his heart. It was like she took his worst fear and stabbed him with it. Rachel wasn't happy. Rachel wanted to leave.

This Thanksgiving sucked. He thought as he turned off the TV and went to greet his sister. He tried to shove the conversation aside in his head but the awful feeling in the pit of his stomach wouldn't go way. Their family wasn't enough.

* * *

"What do you mean the flight was cancelled?" Rachel argued with the woman behind the counter.

"I'm sorry Ms. Berry but due to some difficulties the flight was canceled. Now I can re-route you to Ohio but you will have to have a layover in Philadelphia. That flight doesn't leave until 6:45 and you will get into Allen County Airport at 11:50."

"This is ridiculous. I was supposed to be arriving at 5:30 and now you're saying that the flight won't even be leaving until almost 7:00?"

"I'm sorry ma'am but that's the best I can do. I can also offer you free first class seating for the inconvenience and vouchers for a free dink on board the flight."

"I don't want free drinks or first class. I want to go home" She told the lady. The woman looked back sympathetically but Rachel could tell there was nothing she could do. "Fine just do whatever you have to do." She grumbled as she looked down at her phone. It was almost 2:00.

Rachel typed out a quick text to Noah. She hated doing this to him. She wanted to be home with her family but instead she was stuck inside JFK airport for the next few hours on Thanksgiving. She briefly considered calling home but dismissed the idea as soon as it came. If she heard Noah or the Kids right now she'd start to cry and that the last thing Rachel wanted to do.

The woman handed Rachel her tickets with a sad smile on her face. "Happy Thanksgiving"

Rachel just rolled her eyes and made her way to the gate. This day was nothing like what she expected. Performing that morning had been so amazing and now it felt like a lifetime ago compared to the rest of the day. She swiftly made it thought security and walked to her assigned gate

Could she really move to New York? Is that what everyone really expected of her? And how could Jesse not have told her? In hind sight there were plenty of context clues to have figured it out but she still couldn't help but feel like Jesse never planned on telling her. She was starting to trust Jesse and now something like this but makes her remember why she should keep a close eye on him and his intentions. She sat down in an empty chair and planned to camp out for the next few hours.

Then there was Noah and the kids to think about. Would they be mad at her or excited for her? Would they come with her? Would they even want to? And what if they didn't want to move with her? Would she go alone while they were in Lima? How could they be a family if they were always so far apart? How was she even supposed to bring something like this up to Noah? Lately it seems like any little thing can tip the scale and send them into an argument that doesn't get resolved for weeks. She didn't want him mad at her again.

"Rachel stop" She told herself out loud. She was being ridiculous. They would work it out. Find a way. They always have. And she would sit down and form different plans for the situation. Then she'd sit Noah down and calmly tell him and be prepared with her plans for whatever he wanted to do. She'd tell him when she was ready and sure that they both could handle the conversation like adults. Most importantly she'd tell him when she was sure it wouldn't turn into a fight. But first she needed to brainstorm. She needed to find resources. Look up housing and schools just in case.

Rachel breathed a little lighter. Thanksgiving still sucked but at least she had a plan.

* * *

Puck looked down at his phone and sighed as he read the text from Rachel. Great, just great. She wasn't even going to fucking BE here for dinner. That wasn't gonna get his mom off his case at all.

After he thought about and tried not to think about the conversation with his mother Puck got pretty pissed. Who the hell was she to tell him about his own fucking marriage? Don't get him wrong. He loved his ma and would do anything for her. That woman has done so much for him he'd give his life for her but Fuck her for trying to tell him that Rachel didn't want him or his family anymore.

"Who was that?" Ava said and she came into the kitchen to help Puck as he prepared the food for the table.

"Um…Nothing," He said "Just…um…Rachel's flight got canceled so she's going to be coming in later than expected." He finally admitted.

Ava pursed her lips as she spooned mashed potatoes into the serving dish. "Surprise, Surprise," she finally muttered.

"You what ma just stop!" Puck said

She turned around to face him. "Excuse me?"

"I said stop." He told her firmly. "Stop with all this bullshit with Rachel."

"You watch your tone Noah" She told him sternly but Puck continued like he didn't hear her.

"I married a nice Jewish girl. I gave you your perfect little Jewish grand-babies. So why are you trying to fuck with this? What more do you fucking want from me woman?"

"I want you to wake up Noah!" She told him. "I want you to look around and see what's really happening. Rachel is your wife and she hasn't been around for months. You are doing this by yourself and I know what that's like."

"You may know what it's like when a spouse leaves and you may know the warning signs or whatever bullshit, but you don't know Rachel and fuck, you don't know me. We love each other okay and we have a family. So whatever else can just fucking wait cause we are in this together." He told her. She just stared him down with the mashed potatoes still in her hands. "Oh and news flash, Rachel isn't some drunken fuck who likes to hit her family for shits and giggles. She's sweet and kind and she's got talent and ambition. She wants the best for her AND for us. So don't compare her to that piece of shit that walked out on us. She's nothing like that and we're nothing like you guys were. So just stay out it,"

Ava sat the serving dish down. "You want me to stay out of your marriage? Fine. I'm out. You want to sit back and pretend that you and Rachel are perfectly fine and everything great? Okay then. You do that. But I stand by what I say Noah. So don't say you didn't see it coming when the other shoe drops. I warned you Noah" She told him. She picked the dish back up. "I won't say another word about it. Now let's try to enjoy the rest of this day as a family because believe it or not Noah, Rachel's not here and we're all you have." She swiftly walked out of the kitchen and left Puck speechless again.

* * *

Rachel tried to ignore her rumbling stomach as she turned the pages of her book. It was 4:00 and she'd only been here two hours. She sighed to herself as she thought about how time was passing slowly.

"I'm sorry is this seat taken?" Someone asked and pulled her out of her funk. She looked up and was met with none other than Jesse St James

"Jesse? What are you doing here?" She asked

"Well a little bird told me your flight got canceled." He said as he sat down next to her "And I thought that it must be just awful for you to spend Thanksgiving alone in an airport. So here I am."

"But how did you even get back here? Your flight doesn't leave until tomorrow night?"

"I may have purchased a ticket to get back here but hey what's a few hundred right?" He said with a smile on his face. "Now I am here to cheer you up and I've brought a little feast for us because I'm sure you must be hungry." Jessie started to pull Tupperware out of his bag. "So we have some Turkey, a little stuffing, some mac and cheese, green bean casserole and They wouldn't let me bring the cranberry sauce through so I stopped by the gift shop and we'll just have to make due with cranberry juice." He said as he pulled out the bottle.

Rachel stared at him with her mouth open. Jessie just smiled at her awestruck face. "Come on its Thanksgiving. And I promised I'd be here for you: Even if you don't want me to be." He said as he pulled out paper plates from his bag and plastic silverware he stole from the food court.

"Thank you" She whispered and she started to make her plate. Maybe things weren't so bad. And it was really considerate of Jessie to come all the way down here just so she wouldn't have to spend Thanksgiving alone. "What about your friends? Won't they be mad you're missing their dinner?"

"No. They actually packed the food while I got the ticket." He told her. "I care about you Rachel. You have to know that."

"I do" She said. "It's just…Why didn't you tell me about New York? Why keep something like that from me?"

Jessie sighed and ate a spoonful of stuffing before he answered her. "I just. I didn't know what to say or how to say it. I thought you would have figured it out"

"I feel like you lied to me and like I can't trust you." She told him honestly.

"Rachel you can always trust me. I only want what's best for you." He told her.

"I just don't know if New York is what's best for me." She confided. "I mean this has all been amazing but I have a family and a husband. This is all just happening so fast. I don't know what I should do"

"Hey" He said as he placed his plate down and grabbed her hand. "You don't have to decide anything right now okay. I know this is a lot on you. And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. But you don't have to have everything figured out just yet. You can take your time and decide what's best." He told her. "I just wanted to give you options. I want you to see how amazing you truly are and how far your talent can take you if you just let it. You are the brightest star I've ever met Rachel Berry and I just want you to shine for everyone to see."

"Thank You" Rachel blushed little at his words and cleared her throat. She did have a lot to decide and think about. "And your right, I don't have to decide anything right now. We still have the workshop the get through."

"And we still have this wonderful Thanksgiving feast to get through" He joked. "I even got us some dessert" He said and pulled out a pack a Twinkies. "Now, no more talk of New York and workshops let's eat our dinner and just relax."

Rachel nodded in agreement.

* * *

Caleb shifted from one foot to another. This had to be the right place. He checked three times just to make sure but he still shifted nervously. He checked his watch again. Maybe he got the time wrong. If he did then he'd feel like the biggest idiot ever. No he couldn't think like that. If this plan go through it was totally going to be worth it.

He looked up again and did a little victory dance inside his head when saw what he'd be waiting for.

His mom was walking down the terminal looking exhausted. Caleb gave a sad smile. As much as his Thanksgiving kinda sucked not having her around it must have been worst for her to be by herself. Well that was why he was here. He was going to turn that shit around real fast.

He step up to her and grabbed her carry on out of her hand. She didn't even notice him at first but when she felt the bag leave her hand she looked up first shocked and then stunned. Caleb smiled down at her and she smiled with tears in her eyes.

"Caleb" She said as she pulled him into a tight hug. "Sweetie what are you doing here?"

"Well I figured you could use a ride home" He told her causally.

"Oh Sweetie" She said. Sometimes it still amazed her how sweet her son could be.

"Where is your father and sister?" She said and they made their way out of the airport

"Dad passed out on the couch about a couple hours ago. He doesn't even know I'm gone. Sarah is keeping look out just in case" He told her with his smirk that always meant trouble.

Rachel laughed at her son. They made it to the van only it wasn't the van it was Noah's truck. She glared playfully over at him as she got in. Noah clearly didn't know that he had taken it. Caleb just put on a mask of innocence as he loaded her carry on into the truck and got in on the driver's side. He started the truck and pulled off out of the airport.

"How was thanksgiving?" She asked him. It felt so good to be back home. The truck was filled with the scent of Noah and she felt her body relax into the ease of being home.

"Kinda sucked without you" He told her honestly. "Dad and Bubbe got into in the kitchen about something so dinner was a little tense. Aunt Becca is huge. But the food was good and we managed to sneak out a whole pecan pie without Bubbe noticing." He told her with a grin on his face. Pecan pie was Rachel's favorite.

"Aw thank you Caleb that was really sweet of you." She told him.

"It was no problem." He told her. "We saw your performance. Mom you were amazing. I never knew you could do anything like that. I mean I knew you were good but shit I didn't know you were epic."

She looked at him with a smile on her face. The performance felt like a lifetime ago. She felt like the woman on the stage was completely different person than the one in the truck with her son.

"I have to be honest. I was so nervous. I thought I was going to pee myself." She told him.

Caleb laughed. "No way,"

"It's true. There were so many things going on and people telling me to do stuff. But I was fun."

"And you fucking rocked it. Dad replayed it like 50 times I swear," He told her. She laughed. That seemed like something Noah would do. "So How was your Thanksgiving?"

"Long and lonely," Rachel sighed "I mean performing in the parade was amazing but I missed you guys a lot."

"Yeah we missed you too" Caleb nodded. "But we get it you know. I mean this is a big deal for you and its cool seeing on you TV and stuff."

"So what's new?" She asked him to change the subject. If they went down the path they were on she was going to end up in tears and swear that she'd never go back to Chicago. But she couldn't do that. So, it was best to just think about other things.

"Well I'm kicking ass in Spanish." He told her.

"Really?" She asked impressed.

"Well I have a C plus," He admitted. "But still kicking ass. We are wrapping up the set list of Sectionals. I have two solos this year." He told her proudly "Sarah started taking contemporary dance classes now. She said some bullshit about expressing her feeling but I think it was just to get out of her day to make dinner." He confided. "Dad probably already told you that he officially got the promotion so starting next season he is going to come on as the defense coach."

"Wow" She said shocked. "That's huge. No I didn't know that,"

"Oh shit" He said "Maybe he was going to tell you this weekend. So just…act surprised,"

"I'll try." Rachel smiled "How long has he known?"

"Um he got the news a few weeks ago," He told her.

"Oh," She said quietly. Why didn't Noah tell her? She knew that they were fighting off and on but she would have thought that he would have mentioned it on the times that they were on.

"I'm sure he was just waiting for the right time" Caleb said. He felt like an idiot. He here was making things worse by telling his mom that his dad was keeping shit from her. Great, just fucking great.

"No I'm sure your right," She told him she told him smoothly "Now tell me more about these solos?"

The rest of the trip was spent with light conversation about Glee, Friends, and the crazy adventures that the Puckerman children have gotten into in Rachel's absents. Caleb had her laughing so hard she almost cried when he retold the story of Sarah's first date with Chris. She swore she was going to pee her pants when he told her about the time he was just learning how to cook and under cooked the chicken which had the whole family sick and fighting over the bathrooms all night.

When they pulled into the driveway about an hour later Rachel felt lighter and happier than she had in a long time. This was best feeling in the world. Being with her family. Being home. She turned to Caleb with a smile.

"Thank you," She told him "I needed that."

"Just doing my job," He told her. "Now let's get you in the house before dad wakes up and realizes I stole the Batmobile." He grabbed her bag and they both made it into the house. "I'll take this up to your room." Caleb hugged his mom on last time. "Welcome home," He said before he bounded quietly up the steps and out of sight.

Rachel inhaled deeply. Home. The lights were off and the house was quiet except for the sounds of the TV coming from the living room. Rachel followed the sounds and the faint blue flicker of light into the living room. When she got there she saw Noah sprawled out on the couch fast asleep with his mouth wide open. He was still dressed from the day and she could see a little plate with leftover pie on the coffee table in from of him.

She smile to herself as she entered the room. She quietly turned off the TV and leaned over to gently wake her husband.

"Noah" She said softly. He stirred a little and closed his mouth but did not wake up. "Noah" She said again and shook his shoulder gently.

"Rach?" He questioned. He blinked open his eyes and squinted at her in the darkness. He gave her soft sleepy smile. "Hey babe"

"Hi?" She giggled at him quietly. He was so adorable when he was sleepy like this. "You fell asleep watching the game. You think we should make it to bed."

"No." Puck said as he shook his head. "Too far,"

Rachel gave him a patient smile "but Noah we've got to get you to bed. It's late"

"No" Puck gave her a small frown that looked almost like a pout. "Let's just stay here" He told her as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto the couch with him.

"Noah what are you-"

"Shh." He said as he tucked her under his chin. "We'll get up in a little bit but for now. Let's just lay here"

His breath evened out and she felt him slip back into sleep. She released a contented sigh and realized that laying there with him sounded like the perfect plan. She relaxed her body into him and fell into a comfortable sleep.

* * *

"What do you mean they won't let you go? Do they realize it's a religious holiday? You can sue them for that shit you know" Puck yelled frustrated into the phone. It was a week and a half after thanksgiving and the first night of Hanukkah. Puck had been cooking all day making Latkas and sufganiyah. And now Rachel was telling him some bullshit about not being there. This was Hanukkah. Hanukkah meant Family!

"I know Noah. And I brought up all of these points myself but they still refuse. I'm so sorry. I can come home this weekend. And Maybe I can Skype in for the menorah lighting?"

"No Fuck that!" Puck said "This is such bull shit." He said his brain working overtime to find a way to fix it. Sarah's birthday was on thing. Thanksgiving was another but he'd be damned before he sees his family not united on Hanukkah. "You know what babe, let me call you back" He said. He didn't wait for a response before he hung up the phone.

He looked at the clock. It was almost Noon. He'd have to work fast to put his plan in action. He didn't think he just moved. He ran around the house looking for the things he would need. He quickly packed up the food before he grabbed his keys and went to the store.

He ran around the market frantically looking for the things that he needed. When he was sure he got everything he threw the money at the cashier and didn't even wait for the change before left for the Lima high.

When he got to the school he ran straight to the office and requested to take his kids out early. "And tell them to fucking hustle" He told the secretary.

Ten minutes later two very confused Puckerman children showed up at the office. Puck didn't even stop to explain anything. He just started walking to the car and expected them to follow.

When they got back to the van Sarah finally broke the silence. "Daddy. Not that it's not cool getting out early and everything but do you explaining what's going on."

"Operational Hanukkah that's what's going on." Puck pulled out of the school parking lot and headed towards the freeway.

"What's operation Hanukkah?" Caleb questioned from the front seat.

"We're going to be together as a family for Hanukkah. So if your mom can't come to us. We're going to go to her. And the Puckerman's are going to have the best fucking Hanukkah ever."

"Fuck Yeah" Caleb said. He turned around to high five his sister

"Road trip" Sarah said back

Puck smiled to himself at his kid's enthusiasm.

* * *

Rachel answered her phone as she left the theater. It was Noah and she was glad he was actually calling her back. She was afraid he was so angry about Hanukkah that they wouldn't speak for a few days. To be honest her heart broke at the idea of not being home but there was nothing she could do about it. Clinton was being nice enough by letting her out of rehearsal before sunset but that was as much as he would budge on the matter.

"Noah? Hi sorry I'm just leaving the theater" She said

"I know" He told her.

"Well I'm glad you called back. Let me get to my room and we can skype me in while you guys light the menorah." She said and she made her way down the busy street.

"No need to babe," He told her.

"What? Why?" She said exasperated. "I know I can't be there in person but I still want to be a part of our family's traditions. This is our heritage and I want to be included in way that I can."

"I know babe but" He chuckled into the phone "Do me a favor and turn around,"

"What?" She asked confused

"Turn around," He told her again. Only this time she not only heard his voice on the phone but she heard him in person.

She quickly turned around and was greeted with the sight of Noah and her two children standing on there on the streets of Chicago grinning at her.

"Oh my," She said before she jumped into his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"Operation Hanukkah," Caleb explained and she hugged him next.

"You couldn't come to us so we came to you," Sarah explained further as her mother hugged her.

"We're a family remember," Puck told her.

Rachel nodded back with tears in her eyes. This was so wonderful and so much more than she ever hopped for. She looked down at her watch.

"We need to get going." She told her and led the way to her hotel.

When they entered her room Caleb and Sarah stopped a looked at each other. This was so much nicer than they expected. Douche was really pulling out all the stops. He was working harder than they thought.

Rachel walked over to table and made room while Puck pulled out the supplies he had grabbed before leaving the house and the ones he bought from the store.

"Here," He said as he handed the bag of food Caleb and Sarah. "Go microwave the latkes and make sure the sufganiyah didn't get squished_**."**_

They nodded their heads and went to prepare the meal of microwaved latkes, applesauce and the fried jelly filled treats they both enjoyed. Meanwhile Puck took out the menorah and Rachel started to set the candles. Puck turned back to pull out his Kippah and toss Caleb his. Caleb caught it and placed it on his head. Puck unzipped his case and pulled out his guitar. Within 15 minutes the Puckerman's were done and ready to celebrate their make shift Hanukkah in Rachel's hotel room.

They gathered around the table. Puck started them off with the reciting of the three blessings and eventually everyone joined in. When they were finished Rachel and Puck joined hands and light the first candle on the right side of the Menorah. Rachel beamed up at him. They lit their Menorah that way every year since the day they were married. Together as a team. The leaders of the family. Relying on each other for strength and being patient with each other in their weakness. This was right.

After the candle was lit they continued and recited the traditional hymn _Hanerot Halalu_ and the hymn Ma'oz Tzur. Caleb and Sarah picked up on their parts of the evening by reciting Palm 30 and 67.

When the rituals were done they did the traditional blessing of the meal and began to eat their make shift Hanukkah feast. Now normally the food was much better and there was a lot more of it but tonight sitting together in that hotel room no one could find it in them to complain. After they were finished Puck pulled up his guitar.

The kids laughed with sly grins on their faces ready for this Puckerman family tradition. Puck strummed the first chords and began to sing Adam Sandler's Hanukkah song. The family jumped in with every verse and laughed out loud at their favorite parts. When the song ended they all were shouting with glee "Have a happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy Hanukkah!'

They all laughed together and cheered as the song finished.

"Okay I gotta admit" Caleb said out of breath from laughing so hard "Not traditional but still one of the best Hanukkah's every. Now we just have to keep it up for seven more days" He joked.

They laughed along. Puck set his guitar down and approached the kids. "Okay I'm gonna be frank with you. I left in a hurry so I didn't grab any of your presents." He told them. They pouted a little but didn't seem too fazed by this news. "So here's the deal." He took out his wallet. "He is $50 each and the keys to the van. Go find your presents but" He told them before he handed them the money. "I don't want you back here for at least two hours" He told them seriously.

They laughed and nodded and he handed them the money. "Hell for another $50 we'll sleep in the van" Caleb told him. Puck thought about taking them up on that offer but dismissed the idea.

The kids weren't stupid. They knew their parents wanted some alone time so they could sex each other up. And even though the thought was kinda gross it was also what their parents needed. They needed to love each other and be reminded of everything they still had. So the puckleteens smiled, grabbed their coats and hugged their parent's goodbye before they took off for the mall in search of their presents.

When the door closed behind them Puck turned to Rachel with a smile. "Now as for you, I got your present right here." He told her as he pressed her against the wall. Rachel moaned. It had been far too long and they didn't get any alone time while she was home for Thanksgiving weekend.

"But Noah," She smirked coyly at him. "I didn't get you anything."

"Oh yes you did" He said as he lifted her up to wrap her legs around his waist. They kissed some more before Puck realized he wanted more than her kisses. He grabbed her up and made his way to her bedroom. When he got there he threw her down on the bed. "Time for me to unwrap my present" He said.

* * *

Puck and Rachel laid cuddled up in her bed about an hour and a half later. Neither one wanted to move. They were both perfectly content in that moment. But the kids would be back soon and they needed to get dress. Puck looked down at her and kissed her deeply. She smiled into the kiss.

"So…sectionals are in a few weeks." He began. "And I know you're crazy busy but I'm sure all the Glee kids would love to see you there."

Rachel smiled at him "Sure. I'll have to ask about it but I'm gonna try my hardest to be there." She told him.

Puck grinned at her and pecked her lips "Time to get up."

"No." Rachel pouted "Just 5 more minutes of naked time,"

Puck laughed at her as he rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom to get cleaned up and put his boxers back on. He came out smacked Rachel's bare ass as she went in after him. She squeaked and turned around to give him a playful glare.

Puck went around and made the bed then started to redress. As he was buttoning his shirt he noticed some papers on the desk in the room. A note was on top:

_Hey Rachel,_

_Here is the info you requested. These are the best Schools in New York and the Apartments highlighted in yellow are only a few blocks from the Theater._

Puck pulled the note a side and looked through the papers. There were maps and info of Schools, apartments, and jobs all in New York. He could see Rachel's loopy handwriting where she had made a few notes in the corner. What the fuck was this? Was his Mom right? Was Rachel trying to leave him?

"You think maybe we can call the kids to pick up a movie before-" Rachel came out the bathroom and stopped in her tracks when she saw the look on Puck's face.

"What's this?" He asked her as calmly as he could.

"Noah I…" She said

Puck slammed the papers down "What the fuck is this?" He yelled

"Nothing," She said as calmly as she could. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go. She was not ready to do this. "It's just research."

"Research?" He asked "These are apartment listings in New York! Hell you have school applications for our children in here." He was so pissed he couldn't think straight.

"I wasn't making any decisions" She tried to explain. "I just needed to do the research,"

"For what? What the fuck is going on?"

"The show is moving to New York!" She finally shouted back to him.

He recoiled like she slapped him in the face. "What?" She was leaving. He wasn't enough.

"The show is only in Chicago for the workshop. Once it gets picked it. It's moving New York."

"And I guess you're moving with it" He said

"No…I don't know." She told him honestly. "That's why I wanted to do the research. I wanted to form a plan."

"And you felt like you should make this plan without me." He asked her harshly. His anger rose again.

"No. I just," She stumbled to explain. "When Jesse told me about New York I didn't know what to do. I knew we needed to talk about this but I had to come to grips with it first. I didn't want this to be something else to tear us apart."

"You're fucking moving to New York! How much more apart can we get?" He said

"I haven't decided anything!" She tried to tell him calmly.

"Really cause it sure as hell looks like you have," He sneered.

"I just wanted to explore all our options"

"Our? Oh so now you're including me?"

"I was going to tell you. I just didn't know how. So I did some research to explore the options. I didn't know if I would go alone or if you guys would go with me. I wanted to be prepared"

"Sounds like you made up your mind to leave,"

"Noah listen I want to do what's best for our family but I also-"

"You also want to do what's best for your fucking career. Cause heaven forbid anything come between Rachel Berry and her Career." He yelled "You say you want what's best for us. I call bullshit. I would give up my job in a second if that was what it took for our family."

"That's not fair Noah. I am trying. I don't know how to handle this situation any more than you do." She said as she felt her own angry rising at him.

"You know what Rach. Fuck it. Let's explore the options then. Oh yeah that's right. We can't fucking move our family to New York!" He told her flatly "Think about the kids. That is if you can still remember them. Caleb starts his senior year next year. You gonna make him do that at a new school in a new state? And Sarah finally found her place. She has a boyfriend and friends. You gonna rip that away from her?"

"Oh and let's not forget you Puck" She threw it right back at him. "You finally got that big new job and promotion: Defensive coach. The job you never told me about!"

"I didn't tell you about it cause I didn't want to bother you with my shit. You're so busy running around with douche that you don't give a fuck about what's going on with me or your own fucking kids" He spat at her "And right now you're being pretty fucking selfish. You're not thinking about me or the kids. You realize you missed Sarah's birthday right? You also missed Thanksgiving and you would have missed Hanukkah if I didn't do anything about it. But that shit doesn't bother you does it? It's about you and your fucking career. I'm sick of it."

"I'm being selfish?" She questioned dangerously. "Noah I don't know if you remember correctly but you told me go! You made me take this deal. You told me to go for Thanksgiving. You said you wanted this for me. I finally have my chance to go out and show people what I can do. Show people that I can be more than just some silly school teacher from Lima who once had a dream. I thought you did that because you cared about me but obliviously I was wrong about that. If anyone is being selfish here it's you." She thought about what Jessie told her. How could he not want her to go for her dreams?

"Really?" He said "Is that what you tell yourself to feel better? Or is that what your new BFF Jessie has been telling you? That I'm the bad guy here. I'm the one that's selfish. Well guess what Rachel? I'm the one that is at home taking care of your fucking kids and working your fucking job. But I'm the one that's being selfish?"

"You're the one that is trying to stop me for achieving my dream!" She yelled. "You're the one that doesn't answer his phone like child when he gets pissed. You're the one that is cutting me out of our family."

"I don't have to cut you out of the family because you're already doing that yourself," He snapped back at her "You are the one that has been lying and sneaking and all this other bullshit. We used to be in this together. Remember that? Remember being a wife and fuck team? How long have your known about New York? A week? Two?" Rachel is silent "That's what I thought. You can say whatever bullshit you want but when it comes down it. I'm the one that is keeping this family together while you are running off doing your own thing."

"This wasn't the plan" She shouted at him. "We weren't supposed to be stupid and get pregnant in College. That wasn't the plan. You know it and I know it. And maybe we've been okay with the way things the way they were but now there are just some things that we can't ignore. We have a chance to go back and fix our mistakes."

"Mistakes?" Puck felt like she ripped his heart out of her chest. "I'm sorry that you didn't get your perfect little planed life!" He yelled "I'm sorry that I was there for you when you told me you were pregnant. And I'm sorry I was there while you had two of my children. I'm sorry I worked my fucking ass off to provide for you guys and to make you happy. And I'm sorry I'm-" He pause for a moment "I'm sorry that we're not enough."

Puck stormed out of the room. Rachel threw her robe on and followed him with tears down streaming down her face. "I never said that! I love you and I love our family. It's just-"

"You love your career more" He said cutting her off as he packed up his guitar. "God you sound like you're in high school again! You're a fucking grown woman with kids. And whether you choose to wear the ring or not, you have a husband."

"A husband that doesn't support me! A husband that won't even talk to me. A husband that just gets pissed and runs off every time I say something he doesn't like. A husband that won't even _talk_ about things that will make our family better or stronger. I didn't choose to do anything yet." She said helplessly watching him go. "And even if I did, why is it so wrong for me to just want this? Why can't you be happy for me? Why can't you understand?"

"Understand What? That you're saying fuck you to our family. That you've magically found yourself and now we're not good enough for you?"

"I want more for us" She yelled. "I want more for the kids. I want more for me and my life."

"You don't wanna be a Lima loser." He told her. "You know what. I'm proud of our family and our kids. I'm proud of what we did. I'm proud of what we have…or at least what we had. So fuck it. Rachel Berry or Puckerman or whoever the fuck you are. I don't care what you do. I'm done" He said as he grabbed his shoes and his guitar and slammed the door.

* * *

**Wow...so that was...intense. Before anyone mentions it, YES Puck is being hypocritical. Also they are BOTH contributing to the problems in their marriage. **

**Don't hate me. I have a plan guys. Puck and Rachel have some growing to do in order to fix this but they'll pull through.**

**Please Please PLEASE review and let me know what you think. **

**Next Chapter is Sectionals so until then...**

**Thanks! Review!**


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